How The Game Is Played
by EvilRegalCastalist
Summary: After her plan to kill Snow White is foiled, the Evil Queen finds herself venturing into the Infinite Forest with the help of an insufferable bandit and a lovesick couple, on a quest to defeat the wicked witch of the west. But as the stakes are raised, so are the rules of the game. Our heroes find themselves facing the danger of losing their lives and perhaps falling in love. AU :)
1. Chapter 1

How The Game Is Played

Chapter 1

_The kingdom was in ruins. Or at least it was going to be if something isn't done soon_, a heavy frown marred Snow White porcelain like features. She glanced at the image reflected on the circular crystal globe placed in the middle of the wooden table. Lifeless bodies strewn carelessly all around the ground stared right back at her, with endless vermillion puddles sprouting out of the backs, their arms, legs, everywhere.

"So this was why we never received any reply from Philip," Charming pursed his lips, concern etched between his brows as he gave Snow's limp arm a soft squeeze. "Because they're kingdom too had been under attack, just like Thomas's,"

It all started three months ago, right after Rumplestiltskin casted the protection spell on Snow and Charming that prevented Regina from ever harming them again. At first it was just sightings of the skies in the west turning green, then there were tales of flying monkeys attacking the neighboring kingdoms and soon rumors of a wicked witch from the west started spreading. But these warning signs were left disregarded. They had better things to do then believing the whispers on the street, Charming had told her, things like improving their crops growth and taking over the Kingdom from Regina's reign.

Now Snow regretted her actions, but it was too late. Two weeks after the strange sightings, Prince Thomas sent word that his Kingdom was under attack and by the time Charming's troops had arrived, all that was left was rotting fleshes. But the bodies of Thomas and Cinderella were nowhere to be found, and Snow found herself clinging onto the belief that they were still alive. It was only then when Charming started sending out his troops to patrol the woods and messages were sent to the other kingdoms to warn them and prepare for battle. Most kingdoms replied but they had yet to receive on from Prince Philip's. Now they knew why.

"Is… is it possible to see what had happen? Replay the scene perhaps?" Snow asked softy, her green eyes imploring the Blue fairy.

"I can try to recreate what happened, but there won't be any guarantee it will work," Blue pursed her lips in concentration as she waved her wand, her wings fluttering away nervously.

As specks of blue dust started falling into the translucent orb, the still images began to blur and slowly, different colours swirled around. Holding their breathes in trepidation, the board of council members watched as furry winged creatures swooped down and dug their sharp pointy claws into the knights' backs, cutting through the metal amour as though it was made of paper. Snow held back a scream as one of the beady eyed creatures sunk its talons into an unsuspecting warrior before pulling its claws out; a fountain of crimson blood spurring out of the wound as the champion slowly fell to his knees.

All of a sudden, everything seemed to freeze in place and greenish smoke rose up from the ground, swishing around in a vortex like manner. As quickly as it started, the green mist dissipated, and a shadowy figure started to emerge.

"It's her! The wicked witch of the west!" Anxious voices tingled with fear echoed in the meeting chamber as the council members stared at one another in horror.

Snow repressed a shocked gasp when the witch materialized, her lips curved in a satisfied smirk. With a start, she realized the witch's skin was truly green in colour, a stark contrast with the black gown she wore.

With a bored expression, she raised her arm and green tendrils erupted from her palm as two figures were dragged in front of her. Princess Aurora and Prince Phillip.

"Let us go, you vile creature!" Philip growled as he struggled against the emerald bonds that engulfed him.

"Now, now, that's no way to talk to your Queen," the witched raised her eyebrows in mock horror, "The name's Zelena by the way, also known as the wicked witch of the west,"

"Queen?" Philip's mouth curled in disgust, "you're no Queen, just a cowardly villain. Release us now at once!"

Zelena rolled her eyes as smiled sweetly. "My dear, I may not be Queen now, but I will be, once I take over every pathetic kingdom in this new land. And you nobles are going to be my slaves, ha! Cleaning my boots and washing my dishes," Her eyes gleamed manically.

"No, there are others who will stop you. Rumplestiltskin is more powerful than you, he will be able to stop you," Aurora muttered, more to herself than anyone.

"Ah dear old Rumple, I'm glad to see people have such huge faith in him," the green witch cocked her head to the right, before reaching into her own and pulling out a rusty looking dagger.

Snow's heart sank when she realized that was the dagger belonging to Rumplestiltskin. She didn't know how it ended up in Zelena's hands but she knew they were in far greater peril than they thought. The wicked witch now had control over the only person who perhaps could defeat her.

With dreaded silence, they watched as the imp appeared beside Zelena, his eyes burning with anger and hatred. There was no doubt he was being controlled against his will.

"You can join your friends in your prison and start preparing yourselves for a life of servitude," Zelena sneered at the struggling nobles before turning to address Rumplestiltskin. "You know what to do. Lock them up with the rest and get rid of this mess," she gestured at the frozen knights surrounding them.

"Soon, this whole land will be mine," with a high pitched cackle, the wicked witched grabbed a broomstick that seemed to appear out of thin air and she rose off into the phthalo green sky, leaving behind a trail of green vapor.

No one said anything as they watched the crystal orb slowly returning to its former hue. The silence was so deafening till the extend Snow felt goose bumps rising all over her arms.

"Okay, at least now we know what has been going on," Charming's crisp voice broke through the stillness.

"A little too late don't you think? I wonder if we can even manage to get married before Zelena attacks our kingdom," Snow couldn't even recognize her own voice as she twisted her engagement ring around her middle finger. She felt so small and lost.

"No," Charming knelt down in front of her, cupping her pallid looking face, his heart nearly breaking at the dejected look in his true love's eyes. "We will find a way. We always do. I'm not going to let some green skinned sorcerer destroy our happiness. We managed to stop the evil queen from taking away our happy ending; we just need to find a way to stop this threat…" Charming trailed off as he saw the gleam in his beloved's eyes.

"That's it! There is still hope! She can stop the wicked witch," Snow stood up hurriedly, glancing around the dour looks surrounding her, she allowed a small smile to grace her visage. "Do not despair, there is still a way we can stop Zelena from taking over this realm,"

"Care to share?" Charming raised an eyebrow, a small grin playing at the edge of his mouth. There was his girl, the brave and fearless Snow White.

Snow turned to face him and her next words left wiped the grin right off his face, leaving his mouth hanging agape instead.

"Regina, of course. She still has her powers and she's the most powerful magician after Rumplestiltskin,"

"You cannot be serious," Charming frowned. "There is no way she would agree to help us and even if she does agree to do so, we cannot trust her. She tried to kill you Snow, have you forgotten?"

"Yea, the evil queen cannot be trusted,"

"Indeed, for all you know she might be working with that green monster,"

All around her murmurs of disagreements were voiced. But Snow had made up her mind. And when Snow White had a plan, nothing could convince her otherwise.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take. It's the best plan we have so far, the only plan we have. I believe I can convince her to help us, we have to at least try, for the sake of our kingdom and this realm," Snow implored her fiancé.

Charming opened his mouth to argue but as he saw the hardened look on Snow's countenance, he knew nothing he said would change her mind. And Snow was right, they had to take the risk, regardless how big a risk it was. There was just too much they would lose if they didn't.

Taking in a deep breath of resignation, he faced the woman he loved, "Fine, I'll go with your plan, on one condition, we find Regina together. No running off playing hero without me," His cerulean blue eyes bored into hers.

Pouting, Snow released a small huff of irritation over the fact that he could read her mind so aptly. "Fine, we will find Regina together. We have to find a way to convince her to help us, she's our only hope,"

~.~

A/N: Okay, so this is my first ever OUAT fanfiction and I just felt that an Outlaw Queen story was really needed after the finale (urghhhh). Anyway, this story is going to be very AU and I know this first chapter had no Outlaw Queen interactions at all but don't worry, I promise you all will love the next chapter XD

Feel free to ask me any questions or inform me of any errors I might have made and don't forget to leave a review :)

Also, you can find me on tumblr evilregalcastalist.


	2. Chapter 2

How the game is played

_*So before I begin, I would just like to thank all who have taken the time to read and follow/fav/review this fic. So yup, thanks guys!_

**Guest asked: Wait so this is during the missing year right?**

_This is quite AU from the original plot so nope, in this story, Zelena's main intention is to take over the Enchanted Forest, not go back in time, so the Dark Curse won't have to be casted and there will be no forgetting spell or missing year. But I incorporated the idea of how Regina was banished and unable to harm Snow White because of Rumplestiltskin protection spell (S2 EP 10) :D_

**Anny Rodrigues commented: Funny, they only remember that Regina has magic when they need her.**

_IKR! Don't worry, this issue would be addressed xD_

**theevilqueen-ouat IG commented: Loving it so far!**

_Awww.. Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it :)_

**scifigrrl commented: I love this idea for a story! Can't wait to read more. :)**

_Thanks! Glad you liked it, here's more for ya ;)_

* * *

Chapter 2:

Regina was furious. Her plan had failed, all her years of detailed planning and plotting had gone to a waste. _You are banished. Banished to live alone with your misery…_ Snow's irritating voice rang in her head, like some malfunctioned alarm beeping every single second, a constant reminder of her failure.

As she paced around the cramped quarters, her lips curled in distaste while she surveyed the narrow room she stood in. It would not have even occupied a tenth of her chamber. _Her former chamber_. Regina felt a deep tug in her heart, something akin to sorrow. No, she didn't do sorrow; she was the Queen for god's sake, not some baby who cried when her playthings were taken away from her. So what if she wasn't the Queen now? It was just a matter of time before she reclaimed her throne and exact her revenge on the Charmings.

She still had her powers at least; Regina took in a deep breath and willed most of the rage away. It wouldn't do well to have her collapse due to a heart attack before she took back what was rightfully hers. So much pain and suffering she had to endure before she finally got rid of the King, Regina uncurled her hands and stretched out her elegant fingers, freezing a pudgy looking rat in its place. The rodent's black eyes flashed with fear as it the food it carried in its mouth fell to the dusty cobbled ground with a dull thud.

Picturing Snow White's distressed face instead; the evil queen summoned a nasty looking stake into her hands as she levitated the petrified rat midair and with a swift trust, the stake flew past her in one fluid motion, embedding itself deep inside the creature's furry chest, exactly where its tiny heart was.

"Just you wait, Snow White," Regina hissed in satisfaction, before a blinding blue flash appeared before her, causing her to instinctively shield her eyes from the piercing glare.

A split second later, Regina had a fireball ready in her right hand as she lowered her arm to face the unexpected threat. Her mouth dropped open when she realized who the newcomers were. The swirling blue portal behind them disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.

"Snow White, what a pleasant surprise. I see you've brought your boy toy along as well," Regina recovered from her shock as her mind rapidly searched for reasons why her nemesis would pay her such an unexpected visit. Perhaps the protection spell had worn off, her heart raced at the prospect of finding ripping out that tainted heart of Snow's, but she ruled out that conclusion when she noticed Snow's true love standing beside the princess, his arm resting on the hilt of his sword. Charming would have never allowed his beau to visit the woman intend on destroying her without the protection spell intact.

"Regina, it's good to see you again," Snow nodded hesistantly, casting a wary glance the faming ball of fire still burning in her step mother's palm.

That glance did not go unnoticed by Regina. _Good, at least she still fears my powers; _Regina allowed herself a small smirk before extinguishing the flame with a lazy tilt of her hand. "Wish I could say the same, Queen Snow,"

Snow winced inwardly at Regina's biting tone, the title 'queen' a harsh reminder of what had transpired between them just a few months ago. "I have not come to gloat, I…" Snow bit her lips, taking in a deep breath as she felt Charming grip her hand and giving it an encouraging squeeze. Praying that she was not wrong to believe Regina still had a shred of goodness in her, she plunged ahead, "We need your help,"

Regina could not believe her ears. They needed her help? That she could understand, those fools could not run a farm by themselves, let alone a Kingdom. But if they thought she would willingly drop everything and run to help them out, well they could jolly well think again. "Right, like I'll gladly drop everything to give you governing tips because I'm best buddies with you? Oh wait, you banished me, remember?"

"Look, you can either help us voluntarily or we can make you," Charming growled, drawing his sword.

Regina raised a delicate brow, her honey brown eyes flashing with anger. "Enough with this nonsense, if you guys have come all the way here just to threaten me, I'm afraid you have jut wasted your time, and mine," she raised her arm, prepared to transport herself away before those fools could threaten her further. She had enough.

"Wait!" Snow panicked and reached for Regina's arm, latching on for dear life as the purple tendrils that erupted from the former queen's fingertips frizzed out.

If looks could have killed, Snow was sure she would have turned into ashes instantly, given the vengeful look the former monarch was sending her right now. Regina's eyes literally glowed with hatred and fury at the arm digging into her skin. "Let. Go" she grounded out, wishing she could all but blast the woman in front of her into a thousand pieces. Damn Rumplestiltskin and his stupid spell.

Snow shot her fiancée an angry look that said something along the lines of, _now_ _look what you've just done_, before turning back to Regina. "Please, at least just hear me out will you?"

Regina gave her a mocking once over, inwardly feeling a little please at the desperation she saw in Snow's eyes. Might as well enjoy it while it last, she thought. "You have three minutes so start speaking fast,"

"Thank you," Snow exhaled gratefully, releasing her tight grip on Regina's arm, and then cringing at the red welts she saw. "I'm so sorry… I know this seems really unbelievable but there's a wicked witch from the west called Zelena and she has the dagger that controls the dark one… and she is planning to take over the whole enchanted forest, including our kingdom. Oh and she has this huge army of flying monkeys that has already taken over Cinderella's and Aurora's kingdoms. So we really need your help to defeat her because you've our only hope Regina. So please, please say you'll help us," Snow as out of breath as she stared into Regina's eyes, begging her silently to do good for once.

Regina listened, with some amusement and displeasure as Snow blabbered on while the wheels in her brain whirled. Finally, she curled her lips and looked away from Snow's "puppy eyes". That look might work on her prince charming but please, it was not having the slightest effect on her. She decided to see if there was any truth to what Snow had just told her, closing her eyes and casting a simple searching spell. To tell the truth, she was also slightly intrigued by this Zelena character, she seemed quite… wicked. As she focused on the name Zelena, she could see a clear picture of a green skinned woman standing in front of a cage of some sort… wait, it wasn't just any cage. It was a cage holding Rumple. Regina frowned, feeling a little bit of pity for the imp. Then her frown deepened as images of bloodshed and how Zelena had captured the nobles without even lifting an arm to do so, using the dark one to commit the killings. At last, her eyes few open and she glanced at the ever hopeful Snow White. "Well, it seems that I have finally found my evil twin. Except for the fact that she's a coward who likes to use others as her playthings,"

"So… will you help us?" Charming finally spoke up from the corner where he was standing, feeling a bit ashamed for having threatened Regina.

"Now, I didn't say that I was going to help, did I? Why should I bother to help you out? I can just sit back and watch as this green witch rips you apart limb to limb," Regina's rolled her eyes.

"What if I told you that legend has it there's a black pearl in the heart of the infinite forest that can cast the strongest protection spell ever created?" Snow looked her straight in the eyes, unflinchingly.

Regina wrinkled her nose. She had heard of the pearl and its alleged powers but what good was having the power to cast a secure protection spell when you can't even get out of the forest. "Seriously, are you suggesting that we take a road trip together into the infinite forest and find this so called pearl to save your pathetic little kingdom? What would I gain from helping you? Getting my head chopped off?" she scoffed.

"No," Snow's voice was unwaveringly steady, "Legend also has it that this pearl can remove any protection spell ever casted, even those casted by the dark one,"

"Snow! What is this? What are you saying?" In a few strong strides, a fuming Charming was standing in front of Snow White, his arms gripping her shoulders firmly. "Blue never mentioned anything about this pearl being able to remove protection spells,"

Snow smiled at her true love gently, "that's because then you would have never agreed to this plan," Turning to a stunned looking Regina, she continued, "after saving the kingdom, you can use the pearl to get rid of the protection spell casted on me and kill me if that is really what you wish to do. But please, just help us save our kingdom first,"

To say that Regina was shocked would have been the greatest understatement ever. The pearl could remove any protection spell, she thought, dazed. She had known the rumored pearl was very powerful, but removing a protection spell? Even one casted by the dark one… Eyes narrowed, she scanned Snow's face for any form of deceit and found none. She was further reassured by the upset look Charming was wearing and Regina slowly allowed herself a small smile. Facing the desperate princess, she nodded, "Fine, I'll help you to find this pearl and get rid of the green pest. Then, I shall have your heart Snow White,"

Finally, victory was going to be hers.

* * *

A/N: Wow it has been really fun writing Regina so the next chapter and yes I know most of you guys are probably wondering where on earth Robin Hood is but hey, this is an OQ story remember? Hehe don't fret, he'll appear in the next chapter I promise ;)

I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far and do bear in mind that this story is very AU so the stuff that takes place on the show most probably won't be appearing here.

Let me know what you guys think of the story so far! :D


	3. Chapter 3

How the game is played

_* Once again, thank you so much for the beautiful reviews and support. BE WARNED. There is going to be a major surprise coming up. Brace yourselves ;)_

**Darley1101 commented: This is an amazing story! While it is AU, it is something that could have occurred on the show!**

_Haha, that is true. And thank you :)_

**Guest commented: Can't wait to see what happens next**

_You need not wait long. Here's what you have been waiting for!_

**Guest commented: Are we supposed to like Regina in this story? Right now I just want Charming to kill her because she is just awful.**

_Well Regina is called the evil queen for a reason ;) I personally see Regina as someone who has undergone lot of pain in the past and she resorts to seeking vengeance and destroying other people's happiness. I guess she feels justified to inflict misery on others because that was what others did to her previously. Not that I'm saying her method to do so is correct but don't worry, as the story progresses hopefully we get to see the real woman underneath the evil queen mask and maybe she might just be able to let go of all that anger and hatred inside her, with the help of a specific someone :D All in due time…_

**Anna commented: I like the story so far. I don't mind being AU, that way I do not get frustrated with Emma or Henry because they don't exist. I am asking myself where is Regina's father, she didn't cast the Dark Curse so he is not dead... yet. Hope you update soon.**

_Glad you liked it :) Lol, Emma and Henry won't be appearing in this story definitely. It's mostly gonna be about Robin and Regina, perhaps a little of Snow and Charming here and there. And hmmm… that's an interesting question. Perhaps, he might appear sometimes later, we'll see! :D_

**Guest commented: I. Love. THIS! Please keep going forever! This is genius!**

_Thank you! Really glad to know that you enjoyed it. Cheers, here's to forever ;) _

**Anny Rodrigues commented: KILL HER REGINA, KILL HER - snow, i love u, but... REGINA IS THE NEW BLACK!**

_Indeed she is (: _

**Grey commented: is great i can't wait for the next you are great :D**

_Aww that's sweet. Thanks :D_

**theevilqueen-ouat IG commented: I love it! I can't wait for the next chapter, this trip is going to be great!**

_You betcha :P_

* * *

Chapter 3:

It took some time for Snow to convince Charming that saving the kingdom was more important than her own life. And by 'some' time, it took approximately an hour of Snow giving Charming a long lecture of how the leaders of a kingdom should be courageous blah blah blah while Charming argued that he could not afford to lose his loved one again, not after what the evil queen had done, shooting Regina a death glare. With a bored expression on her face, Regina studied her onyx nails and felt quite fascinated as they glittered under the pale lighting.

After what felt like eternity, and it most probably was, the former queen saw Charming give her one last dirty look before stomping off to one corner, sulking. Seriously, Regina did not understand why Snow thought that man was her knight in shining amour or whatsoever. He was downright a baby. A moody one too.

With a loud sigh, Snow turned to Regina. "Okay, so I assume you are able to get us in and out of the infinite forest? You don't happen to know where the black pearl is, do you?"

"Actually, I am able to get us inside the forest but getting us out is going to be the problem. It's not called the infinite forest for nothing, my dear. Getting in is easy, getting out on the other hand… well so far no one has ever been able to do that besides Rumple and sadly, we are unable to use his assistance, if he would even help you guys," Regina pursed her lips haughtily. She felt a little unhappy to admit to Snow that even she, the evil queen, did not know how to get out of the forest.

That was when Snow remember the stories she had heard a few years ago. "Wait, there might be someone who can get us out," she started to smile as she recalled the tales of how a thief had spent years living in the infinite forest before returning to the enchanted forest. She wasn't exactly sure how he had gotten out, or even gotten into the infinite forest in the first place, but she knew one thing, if he had managed to get out once he could surely do so again.

"Really? Someone managed to find a way out of the infinite forest? Someone other than the dark one?" Regina asked skeptically. If she, the second best magician after Rumple, was not able to get out of the forest _(not that she was foolish enough to try, common sense told her she wasn't going to be able to find a way out if she ever tried)_ then how was it possible someone else could?

"Yes indeed," snow racked her brains, trying to come up with the name of the mysterious thief. Then she grinned, "I remember. His name is Robin. Robin Hood,"

After another round of heated debating, this time between Regina and Snow, it was decided that Regina would send them to the woods of the enchanted forest and they would start searching for the mysterious Robin Hood immediately. Time was of essence. Although Regina wasn't very please they were going to have to place their lives in the hands of a commoner, especially one whole stole for a living.

"He stole from the rich and gave to the poor," Snow had argued. "He's considered somewhat a hero. Although it has been a few years since I've heard any more news regarding him,"

"Have you even considered the notion that perhaps this notorious bandit is already dead? Maybe someone he stole from had decided to take action and put an end to his thievery," Regina stated. Then she frowned, as a thought struck her, "Wait… if he stole from the rich and I'm the queen, then…"

"Former queen," Charming injected wryly while Regina ignored him.

"Yup, he definitely stole from you too," Snow voiced out, sounding a little too happy. _Was that a smirk on her face?_ This Robin Hood guy was going to pay, Regina gritted her teeth. No one stole from her, no one at all.

As if sensing her dark thoughts, Snow wagged a finger at Regina. "We need his help, remember? You must not harm him,"

Regina glared at the offending finger. "If that's the case, then most probably he wouldn't even want to be helping the evil queen, would he," It was more of a statement than question.

"That's why you are going to have to be wearing some kind of disguise," Snow's smile grew even wider.

"You got to be kidding me," Regina' tone took on a heavy edge. Sometimes Regina wondered what the people saw in her, right now Snow White didn't look so pure and innocent at all. In fact, she looked malicious. _Most probably enjoying bossing others around._ There was no way she was going to disguise herself as some peasant to ask for help. This man would either help them. Or… she would make him.

Snow looked at her, her eyes softening, "Come on Regina, we just need to get him to agree to help us, then I guess you can reveal yourself. Although I don't think he is going to be too pleased about it,"

_Why had she even agreed to this stupid plan?_ Regina growled to herself. _Think of what the pearl can do, I can get my revenge on Snow White. Kill Snow. Yes, that's right. Happy thoughts. Snow's beautiful little head lying on the chopping board. _Sighing angrily, Regina recited a spell and seconds later, the evil queen was gone and in her place stood an unhappy looking red head dressed in torn rags.

"Let's get it over with," her voice was the only source of recognition that the woman in front of Snow was Regina.

With another flick of her wrist, the trio found themselves surrounded in purple smoke and with a poof; they were standing in front of the woods of the enchanted forest.

It took them less than an hour to find the Merry Men's camp site, partly due to the fact that a huge funnel of smoke was billowing up into the sky, leading them straight into some sort of cabin where a bonfire was currently taking place. Regina was quite surprise, she was expecting tents made of leaves and perhaps hammocks, but definitely not a cabin that looked relatively… cozy.

As they walked through the camp entrance, it didn't take long for people to notice them and in a few heartbeats, arrows were notched and swords were drawn.

"We come in peace," Charming immediately turned his palms upwards while Regina rolled her eyes. _That was so cliché. _

Just as Regina was about to start conjuring up a fireball, a clear voice rang out, "Lower your weapons men, it's alright," Standing up, he nodded respectfully to Charming and Snow, "My lord, milady… to what do I owe this pleasure?"

_So this is the infamous Robin Hood_, Regina took in his brown tunic underneath a dull green cloak, unimpressed. Almost as though he could sense her silent appraisal of him, Robin turned his pale blue eyes on her and gave her a similar once over. Then, in less than three seconds, he had turned away and started speaking to Charming.

Her mouth thinned and Regina's eyes narrowed into slits of fury. _How dare him, that imprudent man. Former queen or not, she was still a noble and he the least he could do was to show her some respect. _It was only then did she remember she wasn't Regina, the evil queen, but just a common redhead plebeian. Her face a mask of displeasure, Regina realized the bandit was leading Snow and Charming towards the cabin. She must have zoned out for a moment there. _Idiots. They shouldn't be blindly following a stranger into uncharted territory. For all they knew, they were walking into a trap and the outlaw planned to hold them for ransom. _With an unhappy frown, she hurried after the naïve pair.

Robin held the front door open while Snow and Charming stepped up the porch, the pair sending him a grateful nod as they entered. He then turned to Regina, who was having a little trouble, _just a little_, gathering up the many folds of her patched up skirt to climb the few steps. Her mouth curved intoa disdainful sneer as she gripped the edge of the shoddily made cloth and bunching them up. _If only she had been able to wear one of her elaborate costumes. At least those were easier and more pleasing to the touch. _

"Need a helping hand out there?" Robin's exasperated tone cut through her train of thoughts and she half leapt half stomped up the remaining steps. Raising her head haughtily, she didn't even bother sparing him a single glance before strolling into the cabin.

"You're welcome," she heard Robin mutter sarcastically but she was too engrossed in studying the small confinements to bother coming up with a retort.

The room was small but it gave off a distinct aura of comfort. Apart from a grey couch, there was a small fireplace at the corner, much to Regina's astonishment. She wondered how he had managed to afford it. _Some of that money must have come from robbing me,_ Regina growled internally.

"You must be wondering what brings us here," Snow began earnestly, hands clasped in front of her white gown, which was fastened in front by a row of buttons, her long and tight sleeves fastened together with a simple sparkling gem.

"Actually, I think I do. You guys need my help," Robin stated, an eyebrow raised for confirmation. At their stupefied looks, well, apart from Regina's poker face, although she too, was a little bit startled he shrugged, "seeing that you guys have not yet arrested me, most probably it would be because you need something from he,"

Snow looked a little taken aback, but ploughed on, "Well, yes indeed, um you see it's a long story but there is a witch out there who wants to take over the enchanted forest and we to get to the infinite forest to retrieve a pearl…" Snow started telling him about Zelena and their plan to find the black pearl as Robin listened attentively, skepticism written plainly all over his face.

"So you want me to help you guys defeat this witch by telling you how to get out of the infinite forest? What makes you think I even know how to get out of that cursed forest?" Robin asked in disbelief.

"We heard tales," Charming shrugged awkwardly, "that you had been to the infinite forest before and managed to get out,"

Regina saw Robin's face darkened before he blinked and smiled cheerfully once again, "I'm afraid you must have heard wrongly. I have never been to the infinite forest in my entire life. And from what I hear, it's a very dangerous place, so perhaps it wouldn't be wise to go there at all," He gave them an apologetic smile.

Regina started to feel irritated. _Who did he think he was? Did he think they were fools? This man's lying skills were atrocious. _"Look here; bandit," she drawled out, "it seems to me you are the one having a hearing problem. You and I both know you can get us out of that damn forest so either you come along willingly or…" she trailed off, glancing around at the sheltered room they were in, "we burn this whole place down,"

"REGINA!" Charming hissed, his face flushed with anger while Snow let out a little gasp of horror.

Robin, however, seemed unfazed by the threat and he took a step towards Regina, blue eyes burning into hers. "Listen closely, Miss… Regina, I do not know who you are, but I do know that you are in no position to make empty threats against me and my men. So I would advise you to keep your opinions to yourself and respect my choice. Whether I might or might not have gotten out of the infinite forest before, my decision still stands and I'm sorry to be of no help at all, but there's really nothing more I can do,"

"Can do, or will do? Some kind of hero you are," Regina interjected harshly, anger coursing through her veins.

Robin's once calm demeanor suddenly exploded into wild fits of anger and the temperature in the room seemed to rise as he balled up his fists, stepping closer to Regina till their noses were almost touching. Regina was at least five inches shorter than him but she didn't back down_. She wasn't a coward. _Her head tilted upwards, Regina dared him to take another step closer.

After a long silence while both of them glared at each other, Robin muttered angrily, "I think you guys should leave now,"

Regina search his eyes slowly and seeing the determination in them, she let out a bark of laughter, her mind made up. "Then think again," Before anyone else could say a word, she plunged her hand deep into Robin's chest, relishing in his sharp gasp of pain as her fingers clutched onto his beating heart.

"Not that brave anymore huh, thief," she sneered, hand still buried in his chest, ignoring Snow and Charming's cries for her to stop. As she sensed Charming moving towards her, most probably to stop her, she conjured a protection barrier around Robin and herself using her free hand, preventing Charming from going anywhere near her. She couldn't harm him, but at least she could still stop him from meddling. Not even bothering to spare the frantic couple a glance, Regina focused all her attention on the gaping man in front of her. She quite enjoyed the feeling of seeing how Robin's eyes flashed in outrage and shock. No sign of fear though. Well, that would change once she ripped his heart out, she decided, giving the heart a quick tug as she imagined the things she could command him to do.

And… nothing.

Now it was her turn to gasp in outrage and incredulity as stared at her hand still buried inside his chest. It was… stuck. Giving the heart another harder pull this time, her mouth slowly fell open as nothing happened still. What on earth was happening?

As wariness started to creep upon her, she lifted her stunned gaze to stare into a pair of cool blue eyes.

* * *

_A/N: I warned ya all, didn't i? ;P Hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it. Got quite carried away writing this one hehe. I had so much fun! You guys really thought I would let Regina rip Robin's heart out? Not so easy muhahah… For those who are confused (I'm guessing most, if not all of you), don't fret, all will be explained in the next chapter. But if anyone wants to try guessing what has just happened, be my guest :D _

_With that, I shall take my leave and catch up with my much needed beauty sleep. Till we meet again… _


	4. Chapter 4

How the game is played

_*I am really overwhelmed by the huge amount of support I have received so far. You guys really rock, thanks a lot! Haha and there's gonna be another major shocker in this chapter so yea, I hope I won't give you guys a heart attack after this ;)_

**JessicaBrennan commented: She can't take the heart of her soul mate?**

_Wow haha that's a good one. I didn't think of that :) And moreover, I'm still not quite sure whether I want to include the Tinkerbelle pixie dust stuff yet because it might (or might not) be able to fit into the plot I have in mind. I love tink, and I really want her to be part of the story so I guess we shall see :D_

**NickyJean01 commented: Awesome ending to this chapter. You have me completely enthralled.**

_Thank you! Glad to see my writing enchantment spell's working :P_

_**Guest commented: I love Snowing and I love Outlaw Queen. However every time I try to read. Regina centered fic about the two couples; either Snow or Charming gets written OOC. This time its Charming. He is rash, impulsive, headstrong and extremely protective of Snow. However he is definitely not a moody baby. Regina is by far more of a pouter than either Snow or Charming. This story had great potential but it is just too OOC for me.**_

_Actually, I do agree Charming is definitely not a moody baby. Although in Regina's POV, she feels that Charming is a moody baby because she doesn't get the concept of true love (not yet). So yup, sorry if it seemed too OOC to you. Thanks for the review anyway :)_

**Lucinda2323 commented: Ooooh, quite a twist! And I may be in a minority here, but I like that Robin wasn't in an all-fired hurry to jump up and help the Charmings. Kinda makes him that much more suited for Regina, if you ask me - sort of like an anti-hero. I'm very curious to find out what happens when Regina reveals herself, if the heart trick hasn't given her away already lol.**

_Quite the twist indeed! And there's gonna be an even bigger twist now, especially after Regina reveals herself ;)_

**Guest asked: Do u think u will bring Cora into the story since Regina didn't fake kill her or anything? Maybe Cora could get her heart back and Zelena could become nice in the end? Just a suggestion.**

_Hmm a happy ending… gotta think about that one xD Thanks for the suggestion!_

**Guest commented: I don't think you understand you need to update now! This story and How The Mighty Have Fallen, I don't know if I wrote the name right, is by far my favorites Outlaw Queen's stories. I really need you to update now hahahha**

_Lol, I'll try to update ASAP. Thanks, If only I was as motivated to do my homework as I am to write this story haha. :)_

**Tripp3235 commented: Ok, I'm excited. The only thing that worries me is...I'd really prefer for Robin to know this is Regina the evil queen. I'm guessing he will know now. Not many people know how to rip out hearts. But if he falls in love, I want it to knowing who she really is. Probably what bothers me though is the fact she doesn't sound like she looks anything like Regina. **

_Well read on and find out ;) Nope she doesn't but it would be really mean if Robin doesn't know who she is hehe… xD (cough cough) _

**To Darley1101, scifigrrl and guests who reviewed:**

_Thank you for the lovely comments! Appreciate it :D_

* * *

Chapter 4

Regina couldn't believe her eyes. Years of practicing magic and years of ripping out countless numbers of hearts, she had finally come across the one heart she couldn't rip out. What's worst was she wasn't even able to get her own arm out. _Maybe it just needs a really strong pull. A stubborn heart, just like its owner_. Regina scrunched her face up at the thought, taking in a deep breath she prepared to jerk her hand out once more when strong fingers clammed down onto her wrist, making her freeze in place.

"Unhand me at once, you imbecile," she growled, seething with anger.

Robin's eyes bore into hers, and for a long time, there was just silence. It seemed even Charming and Snow had been too shock for words. And very slowly, his grip on Regina's slender wrist tightened while something akin to amusement flashed in his blue orbs as he tugged her arm away from his chest. With a soft plop, Regina found herself speechless as she stared at her now freed arm. _What the heck had just happened? Why was Robin able to get her hand out of her chest when she could not?_

Finding her tongue, she slapped his hand off her wrist and glared daggers at him. "You had better start explaining, thief,"

"Or what? You'll chop off my head, your majesty?" Now it was Robin's turn to narrow his eyes as he looked at the woman in front of him. It was not hard to put one and one together to see that there was only one person in this entire realm that could conjure up purple magic and would dare to rip his heart out. The evil queen.

Regina seemed unconcerned that her cover was blown and she let out a mirthless chuckle. "Oh dear, now that my cover's blown, I guess I'm finally able to get out of these… rags," she closed her eyes and relaxed as she felt the familiar purple smoke surround her. For a moment there she thought her magic had been disabled, but it seemed there was nothing wrong with her powers, so why was she unable to get his heart out?

As the lilac puff slowly faded away Regina glanced down and saw she was wearing one of her black and red gowns with a plunging neckline. The surcoat was trimmed with exquisite looking lace at the ends, held back on the shoulders by two narrow bands, which majestically draped the lower part of the body was a sort of wide and trailing skirt. Adorning her neck was an exquisite looking black pendant, a stark contrast to her exposed pale collar. _Finally, decent clothes at last. _Turning to the outlaw, she was unable to decipher much from his blank expression, except the fact that his eyes lingered a tad too long on her chest. _Good. At least she still had an ace up her sleeve. _She was already a little unnerved about the whole heart tugging thing and was still trying to sort through the jumble of thoughts flying through her head.

"See anything you like?" she intoned, a fireball forming in her palms. She might not have been able to rip his heart out, but she could still fry his sorry hide.

"You do not want to pick a fight with me your majesty, especially not when your two companions are unable to help you," Robin stated solemnly, signaling to a furious Charming and a confused looking Snow.

Pursing her lips, Regina rolled her eyes, "Please, they would bask in the glory of seeing me burn on a stake but unfortunately, the only one who's gonna burn is you." She turned her gaze back to Robin, eyes glittering with venom. "Now tell me why I was unable to rip your heart out or I'll skewer you alive. Did you find someone to enchant your heart?" Although she had never seen such a thing before, it was always possible he had made some kind of deal with a magician to protect his heart. Perhaps Rumple.

"How about I give you three guesses instead?" Robin smirked, enjoying how Regina's face turned a shade even redder. She looked as though she was going to explode any moment, and he found himself wondering what it would be like if that happened.

"Wrong answer," she snarled, her patience finally snapping. Drawing her hand back, she hurled the fireball directly into his face. Screw this insolent bandit. They didn't need him to get out of the forest. She could find a way out herself. She would.

Shaking his head as he saw the ball of burning flame flying towards him at breakneck speed, Robin sighed. He really didn't want to do this. But she had just forced him to show his own hand, literally. Bringing his hand up, he focused on the blaze heading his way, blocking out the scalding heat and with a well calculated flick of his wrist, he sent the fire turning back to a once more shell shocked Regina.

She was lucky her senses had not shut down yet, even though her brain was too dazed to react. _He had magic. The bloody moron knew how to use magic. _No wonder she had trouble pulling out his heart. Taking the heart of a peasant was like taking a toy from a baby. But taking a heart of a magician, it was not that simple. The person in question had to be either powerless or drastically weakened.

At the last second, she jumped out of the way before the fireball crashed into the wall behind her, leaving behind a big gaping hole through the wood. _That could have been her. She could have been turned into a pile of black ashes. _Shaking her head, Regina chided herself. She couldn't afford to lose focus now, not after the revelation that Robin had magic. It pained her to admit it but his powers were not those that came from drinking some cheap imitation spells that would only last for a few minutes. Rather, the blast he sent her way felt strong and forceful. Moreover, not many could manage to escape her fireballs, much less deflect them back to her. It was time to up her game.

But it seemed that she had taken too long to regroup and get a hold of her thoughts and just as she was about to cast an immobilizing spell on him, she found herself pinned to the wall, invisible cords binding her arms and feet to the rough wood behind her. Ignoring the heavy ringing in her head as her body groaned in abjection, Regina tried to summon enough magic to break free from his magical hold but to her disgust, she discovered that with both hands firmly plastered to the wood, there was nothing much she could do besides glare at the insolent outlaw in front of her.

It was then when she noticed the wisps of white smoke emanating from his palms. With dawning realization, her gut sank. His magic was light and light magic was even harder to defeat. H_ow on earth had the thief managed to acquire such powers? Surely she would have heard of him before?_

"Put her down," It was Snow, hands pushing against the protection barrier that prevented her or Charming from stepping any closer. "Violence won't solve anything, it only make things worse. We just want to talk. Perhaps we can come up with some agreement, please,"

Regina craned her neck towards her step daughter with some difficulty, her eyes burning with malice, "My dear Snow, violence gets you everything, and I would have been able to get the information we needed, if only you hadn't left out the one most important detail that apparently the thief practices magic. Light magic,"

"She didn't know. None of us did. Snow is right, fighting will get us nowhere so get this _thing_ out of the way and we can talk it out," Charming gestured to the barrier.

Robin's attention was focused on the Charmings and Regina took opportunity of that distraction. Praying that her spell would work, she channeled all her anger into it, slowing straining her stiff fingers into his direction. _Come on, she could do it. She was the evil queen, the most powerful magician in the realm, other than the dark one of course. _With one last burst of effort, purple coils pushed past white ones and headed straight for Robin's legs. It worked. By the time he caught on to what was happening, both of Robin's feet had been bounded together and he felt himself unable to move. _That damn woman had paralyzed him!_

Unfortunately, Regina had forgotten she was still in Robin's hold and when her spell worked its way up his body, she ended up falling down from her original position and sprawled on the floor in one disgraceful lump, a million razors cutting through her left ankle. Definitely broken. Biting back a groan, she willed the broken bones to mend and heal themselves. Slowly but surely, she let out a small puff of relief as the broken pieces glued themselves back together. It was just her luck Robin's oh so merry men decided to see what all the commotion were about and they burst through the front door, arrows ready to fly. Gasps of horror and outrage ensued when they saw their leader surrounded in a hazy purple outline, frozen. Still lying on the ground, Regina had twelve arrows pointing at her. It definitely didn't help when the fact she was the evil queen registered in their slow acting brains. Pandemonium ensued while the men all started shouting at once.

"It's the evil queen,"

"She's trapped Robin!"

"Shoot her!"

Sadly no one acted upon the last remark. Regina was quite looking forward to sending the arrow right back into its owner's heart.

Snow and Charming were also numb with shock. _How had things moved to this stage so quickly?_ Robin's men were casting weary glances from Regina to Snow to Charming, not knowing what they should do, although their arrows were still directed at the evil queen.

"Men… don't shoot… yet," Robin's voice sounded muffled, as his lips struggled to move. "We'll… have that… talk,"

Breathing a sigh of relief, Snow gave Charming's hand a reassuring squeeze before turning to Regina. "Put away the barrier Regina, let's just talk it out, okay?" she sounded weary and exhausted. They were so close to starting a full-fledged battle and even though Regina had her powers; it would end well for them, not with the ratio of thirteen versus three.

Although she didn't want to accept it, the odds were not in her favor. There was always the chance that she was not able to deflect all twelve arrows sent at her and for all she knew, Snow and Charming would gang up with Robin to fight her. She had to remember she was unable to harm any of them. With a reluctant pout; she waved both her hand, recalling back her magic that bound Robin and also the invisible wall that separated the Charmings from her. Signaling for his men to lower their weapons, Robin stretched his taut muscles. He had not meant for things to escalate to this stage and it seemed now a discussion was inevitable. His other options was to continue butting heads with the evil queen but he didn't really want any of his men's lives lost on his account. So a talk it would be.

"Could you guys please wait outside? Everything's alright now," Robin nodded at his men.

Most of them lowered their weapons and started to leave but the one in front, a hairy looking man with a bulging pot belly still had his arrow pointed at Regina. "Are you sure, Robin? She is the evil queen. And what on earth is she doing with Princess Snow and her prince? Perhaps they are under the witch's spell,"

Regina bristled indignantly, "How dare you! Show some respect, or at least some restrain at the buffet table," she stared pointedly at his rounded belly.

"That's enough," Robin intervened quickly. "John, it's alright. Her majesty has formed an unexpected… alliance with the princess,"

Giving Regina one last suspicious glance, Little John dipped his head in acquiesce and left grudgingly.

* * *

"Yes, I have been to the infinite forest years ago and have heard of the black pearl but I did not chance upon it during my unfortunate stay there. I didn't venture deep into the heart of the forest where it was rumored to be. I kept to the outskirts where my chances of surviving were the greatest and even then it still took me a long time to finally find a way out. So pardon me when I say returning to the forest is not an experience I want to repeat," Robin informed them. Sensing their next question, he continued, "It took me close to a hundred years of elaborate planning and near death misses before I managed to get out,"

"A hundred years? But you don't look…" Snow trailed of, shrugging uncomfortably.

"Time stands still in the infinite forest," Robin replied.

A frown crinkled Snow's ever perfect forehead. "How did you end up there in the first place, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Actually, I do,"

There was a moment of awkward silence before Regina finally spoke up, after keeping mum throughout the whole conversation, "So you definitely know how to get out of there. Is there some kind of secret escape path that only thieves know about?" At Snow and Charming's murderous looks, she added, "Perhaps you care to share?"

"No, there is no 'escape route' as you call it, and without magic, there is no way one is going to be able to get out. I would have thought her majesty herself would be able to formulate a plan to get out of there, seeing how you love to send people there" Robin stated bluntly.

_Insufferable pest_. "I have no wish to engage with you in useless banters so just cut to the point. How did you manage to get out of there?" Then warily, she lifted her gaze to look at him, "I wasn't the one who sent you there, was I?"

His lips curved into a bitter smile, Robin shook his head, "Lucky for you, no. If not you wouldn't be sitting here right now,"

"Are you challenging me, bandit?" Regina's voice took on a hard edge.

Wanting to avoid a potential showdown number two, Snow intervened, "Perhaps we can come to some sort of agreement? Maybe you can tell us how to get out and we can pay you?"

It must have struck some sort of nerve in Robin as when he faced the princess, his blue eyes were cool and detached, "If I wanted to make money milady, I would have stared a business to become a tour guide for the infinite forest,"

"Wow. A thief with honor. So you prefer to rob others instead of earning a decent living when the opportunity is offered?" Regina's voiced out, deadpan.

Robin sucked in a deep breath. _That woman was really getting onto his nerves._ "I rather not take the risk of being trapped in that cursed forest for eternity or losing my life to some barbaric creature,"

"Wait… I thought nothing lives there… you mean to say there are dangerous beasts in the infinite forest?" Charming fixed his stern gaze onto Snow. "I don't think this is a good idea… we might lose our lives,"

"Charming… we've been through this. We will succeed. I know that, we just need to find the black pearl and get out of there, then defeat Zelena," Snow was overflowing with confidence and for a moment Regina speculated if she was going to drown in it. _Really, were did Snow get all her optimism from? _

"The forest is not to be taken lightly, once you step foot inside, you have just entered a very treacherous game. If you manage to win, then you will find a way out. There is no right or wrong path in there and the only chance of you living is if you make all the right moves, knowing when to proceed and when to draw back. And most of the time the forest forces you to take risks that could cost you your lives, its main intention is to draw you deeper into the heart of it, that's where it is most perilous. There are also different sections, each one more deadly than the last…" Robin trailed off at the memories that invaded his mind all of a sudden. Blinking himself back to reality, he addressed his quiet audience. "Its best you guys find another way to defeat this wicked witch,"

"No," This time it was Regina who spoke. The forest sounded scary, no doubt. Yet it also had a certain… appeal to her. She was the evil queen and nothing would stand in her way of getting her revenge, definitely not some bushes and twigs. "We will enter the forest and get out of there, with or with your company. If you want to be a coward, so be it, I'm not going to stand by and let some plants intimidate me,"

"Regina is right, not the coward part of course," Charming corrected himself. "We have to do this, not only for the sake of our future, but also for ourselves. To prove to ourselves that we can get rid of any obstacles in our way and as long as we all work together, we will prevail. So will you help us Robin? Will you join us on this journey to save the people's lives and also the lives of your men?"

Robin felt very uncomfortable, every pair of eyes on him. He really did not want to go back to the place that kept him awake each night, drenched in sweat. But without his help, they would most probably be unsuccessful in this quest and countless of innocent lives would be lost in the battle to stop the wicked witch without the help of the black pearl. Moreover, he owned it to his loyal men who would gladly lay down their lives for him. They seemed to see him as a hero of sorts, even though he had repeatedly told them he was far from being some knight in shining amour. Then he sensed a particular gaze burning into him. Tilting his head, he met the haughty look of the evil queen, daring him to prove her right.

That was when he made up his mind. He would not have been able to live with the guilt knowing that he could have helped to prevent so much bloodshed if he was just brave enough to go back there. He had managed to get out once and he would do it again.

"I'll help," he finally nodded and Snow and Charming broke out into radiant smiles. Regina's expression was harder to read but if he wasn't mistaken, she looked a tad pleased. And proud of course.

"Good," Regina rose, clasping her hand together in front of her and Robin caught a glimpse of the woman who was once queen. With a self-assured smile on her face, she continued, "I'll transport us to the forest tomorrow at dawn and then we'll show the forest who it's up against. If it wants to play games with me; well I'll show them how the game is played,"

* * *

_A/N: Wow my chapters just keep getting longer and longer. I had actually planned to split this into two parts but it didn't really work out so here's the end product haha. And yes, the reason why Regina was unable to pull Robin's heart out was because he has light magic. I know it seems weird now but his magic will have something to do with his past in the forest, that's all I can say. For now :) _

_If there's anything you guys want me to clarify, just ask :D And hopefully I didn't disappoint with this chapter. The next part is where all the fun begins, it's gonna be the start of the long awaited adventure :P_

_Again, thank you so much for the wonderful support you guys have shown. I am eternally grateful (;_


	5. Chapter 5

How the game is played

_*Again, I'm blown away by the massive amount of support I had received. I wasn't sure how you guys would react to Robin having light magic so yea, thanks for sticking around :)_

**Darley1101 commented: I am not sure how I feel about Robin having magic. One of the reasons I have always loved Robin as Regina's love interest is he doesn't practice magic and is still able to hold his own with her. I will continue to read, though, and see where you go with this new development as I do find this story to be interesting.**

_Haha thanks for the support. In this story Robin has magic due to unexpected circumstances but unlike Regina, he isn't a big fan of it and does not rely on magic to defend himself so I guess most of the time he won't be really using it unless necessarily. :D_

**Tripp3235 commented: Whew, so glad Regina can just be (and look) like Regina. Can't wait to see where you go with this. Please update soon!**

_I think Regina would not have been pleased to be stuck in her "peasant attire" for too long anyway hehe. And it's way more fun for Regina to be Regina instead of masquerading as someone else :P_

**Lucinda2323 commented: Definitely a major twist - light magic, wow! Makes things oh so much more intriguing for Robin and Regina :) Sounds like they might need the light and the dark to survive in the forest and make it out alive.**

_Definitely! Magic is crucial… but all magic comes with a price ;)_

**scifigrrl commented: I love how you manage to keep the sexual tension between Robin & Regina in your story. In the beginning, it's subtle but definitely there. I can't wait to see how you write their attraction growing!**

_Well, first comes sexual tension then comes love xD _

**Guest asked: Does Robin have Roland in this story?**

_Yes he does. Roland's gonna be appearing sometime soon but in a very very very unexpected manner. (:_

**To Anny Rodrigues, murina and guests who reviewed:**

Thank you! :D

* * *

Chapter 5

If someone had asked Robin a day ago whether he was going to be returning to the place of his nightmares, he would have called them a fool. Now standing outside the edge of his camp where he waited for the royals (and an ex- royal), he couldn't help but wonder if he was the fool. Why had he even agreed to revisit the infinite forest? A certain sharp tongued witch and her luscious pouty lips popped up in his mind. _Wait what? Luscious pouty lips? Where had all these thoughts come from?_

"Lack of sleep," he muttered to himself. "Three hours of sleep and I start to think about lips. Pouty lips ha! That woman infuriates me the whole time. She massacred villages in cold blood. I bet she even eats babies for breakfast,"

"Who eats babies for breakfast?" Robin startled and clasped his hand over his chest as a booming voice interrupted his train of thoughts. "Little John, jeez, at least give me some warning. You almost gave me a heart attack!"

The big man merely raised an eyebrow. "Really? I had been calling out for you twice before _crashing_ past these bushes to find you? What more do you want me to do? Perhaps I should have squawked like a chicken?"

Robin huffed, shaking his head. "Fine, you got me. I was just… thinking,"

Little John's expression turned serious as he stared at his friend, "Robin, I know you don't like bringing up the past, but I will never forget the day when I first saw you, bloodied and half dead on the ground… there's still time to change your mind you know?"

Robin's mind went back to the fateful night. The night where he had finally managed to get out of the infinite forest and ended up somewhere in the middle of nowhere, badly wounded and delirious. If it wasn't Little John was had stumbled upon him by chance and brought him back to the camp of Robin Hood, he would not have lived. Funny how the leader of his own camp ended up being nursed back to life in small safe haven he had long ago built. It definitely seemed different from the last time he set eyes on it, which was close to a century ago. Arrow tips had those shiny parts that glittered under the sun instead of just pure sharpened wood and there were even the crossbows. When the men nursing him finally released he was their long lost leader who disappeared years ago, Little John, who was the one in charge back then immediately stepped down and handed that position to him, despite Robin's countless protests. Soon the two men bonded and Robin realized his newfound friend was actually the grandson of one of his close men. Little john was also the one who had convinced Robin that his men needed him. It took a few months and three suicide attempts before Robin finally realized he had been given a second chance and he was not going to mess this one up. It didn't take long before his named was once again on the wanted poster, although most of them had the word 'imposter' added in front. Robin didn't mind. He wasn't the naïve young man he was once and he would do his best to help as many as he could.

The clippety-clop jarred him out of his thinking and as the two white mares bearing the emblem of Snow White and Prince Charming came into view, Robin knew there was no backing out. Giving his good friend an apologetic but determined glance, he replied, "I have already made up my mind. But I'll be back soon. Have faith my friend,"

Little John stared at him for a long time before giving him what he thought was a small hug that left Robin gasping for air. "Be safe, Robin. The men and I await your return. Till then, I'll make sure everything here runs smoothly,"

"Thank you," was all Robin could manage and the big man gave him an understanding nod and disappeared into the bushes nosily.

"I see Regina is not here yet?" Snow commented as Charming lifted her down to the ground, letting out a surprise squeak, giving her fiancé a chastising look that faded into a soft smile when Charming nuzzled her neck before pressing a chaste kiss to her cheek. Robin turned away, feeling like he had intruded on a very private moment as his heart clenched painfully.

"Such sweet loving pair, aren't they? All mushy and dewy eyed,"

Robin spun to his left, biting back his surprise when he saw Regina standing beside him, just in time to watch the telltale purple smoke vanish into thin air. She had hair bundled up neatly once again, looking more regal than he could ever imagine. His eyes fell to her lips. _Still as red as usual. Although he had to admit, the crimson colour did bring out the fullness of her… She kills children, Robin. Remember that. _Robin forced his eyes away from the distraction.

"No more elaborate gowns your majesty?" He mocked, signaling to her leather breeches which she had paired with a tight fitting bodice with a long sweeping cape attached. All in her signature black colour, making her look no less majestic than in her dresses.

"You have a problem with that, thief?" Her brown eyes flashed with contempt at his plain grey cloak that looked as though it had been patched up thousands of times. Which most probably it had.

"Well at least it does wonders to your legs," Robin bit the insides of his cheek. What had compelled him to even say such a thing? He quickly added, "Of course perhaps you magically enchant your body each day to hide the fact that you have tree stumps for legs and a sagging, wrinkled face?"

Regina felt her blood boil. How she wish she could turn him into a bug to squash. Tree stumps indeed! "How dare you? You do realize I can fry you on the spot right?"

Robin tilted his head to the side, as though he was considering her request, before replying cheekily, "And look how well that turned out? Hope your ankle's not too sore," He watched in fascination as her face flashed in indignant and her eyes turned stormy.

"Regina! You're here, good. Now we can set off," Snow gave her a small smile before pausing at her step mother's dark look, "Is… um everything alright?"

"You're lucky I'm saving my energy for whatever crap that forest has installed for us, idiot," Regina hissed before turning to face Snow with a sneer on her face. "And you, don't sound so excited. That kiss you two lovebirds shared could just be the last,"

"Save your breath and just get us there," Charming glared at her, lifting out what looked like a small backpack and slinging it across his shoulders.

Regina couldn't help the small snort that escaped her. _Seriously, those two really those this was some kind of camping trip? _Rolling her eyes skywards, she raised her hand and called magic to her.

* * *

Robin found the experience of being sucked out of the air unpleasant. The sensation was unnerving and he felt the air leaving his lungs as they tumbled through the darkness. If he strained his eyes, he could vaguely make out the figures of Snow and Charming clutching each other (were they upside down?!). Before he could think any further, he landed on a familiar grassy plain, face down.

Groaning, Robin slowly raised his head, wiping grass away from his face, only to stare into at a pair of high heeled boots. Regina. So Snow and Charming wasn't the ones who were upside down. He was. That woman must have sent him sprawling onto the ground on purpose.

"You all right?" It was Charming, extending out his hand which Robin accepted gratefully.

"Payback's a bitch," Regina smiled sweetly, observing their surroundings. So this was the infamous infinite forest. All grey and green, with countless of cone shaped trees stretching out in front of them everywhere.

"Welcome to the entrance of the infinite forest your majesty," Robin quipped, dusting debris from his cloak. "I would suggest we immediately start making our way to a safe house I built by nightfall so we can start our journey across the desert the next day immediately,"

"The desert?" Snow asked. "I thought this whole pace was just filled with trees and shrubs?"

Robin grimaced, "I thought so too… until I crossed the border and sand just started filling up everywhere. I guessed I just called it the desert… It isn't the most pleasant place to camp overnight, unless you want to fall asleep with a mouthful of sand. But thankfully we should be able to cross it in a day,"

"Wait… you mentioned crossing a border? So the forest is separated into different sections?" Charming questioned.

Robin nodded, "Very much so I'm afraid. We should probably get going now while there is still light. It gets dark very quickly here,"

"Then stop talking and start walking thief," Regina stated, gesturing at the endless array of trees ahead. Robin didn't even bother replying as he brushed past her.

They had been walking for almost three hours and it was getting darker. Regina estimated it was probably around 4pm in the afternoon but the sky already looked pretty gloomy. She glanced at the thief on her left, "So how long more till we reach this hidey hole of yours?"

Finally. After hours of silence her majesty decided to speak. "Getting tired already? Perhaps you should have thought more carefully before choosing to wear those," Robin pointed at her now mud crusted boots.

In fact, Regina had not even bothered to consider wearing shoes a little more applicable before throwing on her favorite pair of black boots. Well how was she to know they would spend hours 'hiking' through muddy swamps and thick grass blades? To be honest, she was expecting a barren land with a few dried up shrubs and a few fallen tree logs maybe. Not like she was going to admit that to the thief anytime soon. "Please, it's not my boots I'm worried about. It's those two, especially the _princess_," she jerked a thumb behind her, where Snow and Charming were following closely.

They must have been closer than Regina thought as a second later, Snow's bland voice replied, "the _princess_ is doing perfectly fine, thank you,"

Robin chuckled before turning it into a cough as Regina shot him a pointed look. "We should reach the tree house soon; hopefully it's still there,"

"Tree house? Why am I not surprise," Regina scoffed, playing with a ball of fire in her palm, watching the orange flames flicker and then turn into wisps of smoke as she clenched her fist together. She noticed Robin's grimace and was about make some kind of remark about his disdain for magic when an arm shot out to tug her backwards.

Stumbling a little, Regina turned to the man who grabbed her, eyes on fire. "Just what do you think you are doing? Do you have a death wish?"

"I think you would have been the one ending up dead if it weren't for me, your majesty," Robin sighed inwardly at her outrage, gesturing to the clump of shriveled looking mosses that lay ahead of them. One more step and the queen would have become plant nutrient. "The least you could do is to show a little gratitude,"

"I'll show you gratitude when you stop getting your grimy paws all over me. It's just some weeds. A simple 'watch out' would have sufficed," Regina made a show of dusting imaginary dirt from her arm.

"Oh this isn't just some weed as you would call it. It's a man eating plant that lies in the ground, waiting for unsuspecting prey to step on it and then it rises to its full height and devours them," Robin's tone was dry and sarcastic, his eyes on Regina as he signaled for Charming and Snow to stop, explaining the predicament to them.

"Can't we just step over them or something?" Charming pursed his lips. "Perhaps I could clear them away with my sword?"

Robin shook his head. "I wouldn't advice that. Last time I was here it was just a small portion of weeds and I was able to step over them without much harm done… We should backtrack and find another route to the tree house,"

"What? Come on, we are letting a pile of dried up mosses get in our way?" Regina jeered, a fireball in her hand. "Well, lucky for you heroes I have a plan besides running away. It's called burning this crap down,"

"Don't do it," Robin warned. But it was too late. With an effortless toss, the small ball of fire landed onto the mosses in front and the glowing embers leapt up hungrily, devouring everything in its path. Orange tinted flames soon lapped up the dry weeds within seconds.

"See? Not that scary now," Regina smirked, stretching out an arm, as she prepared to extinguish the flames.

That was when it all went downhill.

Regina couldn't believe her eyes when the now blazing weeds started rising up. Yes slowly but surely what seemed like weeds of four inches began spiraling into what could only be described as a monstrous army of plants resembling hungry pitcher plants with huge black holes in its middles. Oh and did she happen to mention that these plants were also on fire?

"So much so for your brilliant plan," Robin shouted above the crackling flames, shooting Regina what seemed like a look of utter furiousness. Regina didn't have the time to reply as the flaming plants started bending towards them, and Regina jumped back just in time to the black hole open and close. She caught a glimpse of something sharp and white.

"Are those fangs?" She gawked, before shutting her mouth, not wanting to look like a fool.

"Those definitely don't look like marshmallows to me, what do you think?" Robin replied sarcastically, drawing an arrow from his behind. "Aim for the black hole, that's where their mouths are and also the only area these damn things can be hurt. Make sure to avoid the tongues," He warned.

"Tongues?" Snow let out a shriek as the object in question, all red and scaly, forked out towards her, only disappear back into its mouth with a pained hiss as Charming plunged his sword right dead into the black hole. They were left staring at a pile of disintegrated ashes beneath their feet.

They were a formidable team, with Robin and Snow's flying arrows turning plants into dust every few seconds, Charming's sword slashing and plunging while Regina shot balls of fire into the already flaming plants, this time into their mouths. But no matter how many got dispersed, more and more just seemed to take the place of their fallen comrades. Plus the heat generated by the plants was getting suffocating. It was too risky to try to teleport to another place as their minds were not settled and none of them wanted to end up somewhere else with missing body parts.

"We have to retreat. Move to the left and then start running, the tree house shouldn't be any further. It stationed on top of one of the trees, keep an eye out for it," Robin hollered, pointing to the tiny gap between the towering plants. "I'll keep them occupied long enough for you guys to pass through,"

"What about you?" Charming asked, slashing down another one, not even blinking as dust flew into his face.

"I'll catch up later; I know where the place is. It shouldn't take me long to find it. You guys go ahead," At Charming's terse nod, he edged away to the right, landing another arrow straight into the mouth of the flesh eating plants. His plan worked as the plants turned towards him angrily and they made some kind of hissing sound, like a promise of vengeance.

He could vaguely make out the figures dashing past the opening and into the clearing in the left as by the time the plants realized it, it was too late. Alas they could only stretch that far as they were still rooted to the ground. Their hissing got even more prominent as they turned their attention to Robin. _Uh- oh_, he thought, _this wasn't good._

"Hey weeds! Over here you idiotic creatures, come and face me like a… plant, if you dare," some of the plants turned at the voice. A very distinct haughty female voice.

"Regina! What the hell? I told you to run!" Robin groaned, "Now seriously isn't the time to try to play hero again," That stubborn woman was going to get herself killed. After all they wouldn't have to be dodging blood thirsty pitchers if it weren't for her in the first place.

"Oh cut the hero nonsense will you," Regina growled. _Seriously, she didn't know why she had hesitated when Snow and Charming ran out. Now she was stuck with this fool who was obviously the nitwit trying to be some kind of hero but failing very drastically. _She eyed the hissing plants with disdain. There was no way he was going to make it out alive by himself. But she didn't know how much longer she could keep up with the fireballs either. She could feel her powers starting to drain. "Are you able to use magic to freeze them or something? It's high time you stop hiding behind that bow of yours and do something useful,"

For a moment Robin debated whether to continue bickering with her but as another one of those blasted things snapped at him, he decided his life was more important. "Magic doesn't really work well for me, especially in this place. It's best I stick to my bow and arrows. Hopefully these plants get distracted and then we will manage to escape,"

_Distracted. _His word rang in her head and she almost berated herself for not thinking of that sooner. "A decoy! Perhaps I can conjure up something to distract them," She signaled to Robin.

"And how are you going to achieve that? Magic doesn't really work well here and it's going to take more than a flick of the wrist to come up with a distraction," Robin's brow furrowed as he reached for more arrows. It was a good thing his arrow holder was enchanted to never run out of arrow or else he would have been gobbled up a long time ago. But still, he wasn't a god and his arms were tiring from drawing and notching god knew how many arrows.

"Stop underestimating me. Just keep them away with that plaything of yours," Regina cast a quick protection spell around her before shutting her eyes and concentrating. The protection spell wasn't going to do her much good, especially when she wasn't even putting much energy into upholding it. But it gave her a small notion of comfort that at least there was something to prevent those cursed weeds from reaching her. She just hoped Robin could manage to keep them away from both of them.

"Come on, work, dammit!" Regina was growing more and more anxious as her flimsy protection barrier wavered pathetically. One more push from those plants and she was dead meat. She felt her energy draining rapidly as she channeled everything into creating an image. Summoning real life creatures was out of the question, but at least she could still try to construct a believable image. In a split second she knew her protection barricade was broken not because of the plant that leapt at her, but it was more of an instinct when she felt the spell crumble under the force of the straining plants. Ignoring the small panic bubbling inside her, she continued to focus on her task, sighing in relief when she sensed the magic finally rising to her command all around her.

That was when a stinging rope was wrapped around her arm, leaving behind a burning sensation as she felt herself being pulled forward. She didn't dare to open her eyes yet, the spell was not yet complete, and she needed a few more seconds. Digging her heels firmly onto the ground, she ignored the stinging pain creeping up her whole left arm, eyes still closed when she heard the 'twang' of an arrow being released and the tugging on her arm was gone. Robin. With a final burst of energy, a blinding light flashed somewhere beside them and barks could be heard. _Great. Had she managed to create an image of dogs? Well, she had been aiming for humans, but dogs were still better than nothing. _

Robin watched in amazement as barking sounded beside him and he saw furry brown creatures leaping about nimbly, just managing to jump out of the plants reach. Realizing he only had a short period of time to get out before the plants realized they were lapping at thin air, he turned to Regina, just in time to see her eyes flutter open. But instead of her usual haughty expression, the queen looked confused and when she staggered a little, Robin realized it must have cost her most of her energy to conjure up the images. Without hesitation, he reached out to grab her arm, only to draw back when he heard her let out a soft cry of pain. _It was bleeding, a thin welt forming where a plant had managed to curl its tongue around before Robin's arrow connected with its mouth. _

"Damn," Robin cursed, reaching for her other uninjured arm and tugged her towards the gap where the plants had abandoned, distracted by the fake dogs.

By the time the plants noticed the dogs were looking very transparent with each passing minute and when they turned back to their original preys, Robin and Regina were long gone.

Regina was feeling light headed and giddy. Her entire left arm felt clammy and numb, her body weightless. Something was pulling her forward and she was leaning against it. She hoped it wasn't any of the plants. _Had they managed to escape?_ She was too tired to bother checking and she closed her blurry eyes for a second. Perhaps she should take a short nap… Then she felt hands cupping her face. Her eyes flew back open and she found herself looking into the bluest pair of eyes that held in a tinge of worry in them.

"Regina? Stay with me okay? You mustn't let the poison take over your body. We have to get to the tree house…" Robin trailed off, looking around uncertainly.

Regina found her feet unable to move any further and she brushed away the hands on her face. "Don't disturb me, thief. Let me rest for a minute… told you I would get us out…" her eyelids felt so heavy and she gave up fighting to keep them open, only catching Robin's last few words as black spots danced in her vision.

"Damn, this isn't the left part of the forest. It's the right,"

* * *

A/N: Phewww… this one's done. :) Time for some Robin- Regina interaction alone yay! Damn this hiatus is killing me, September please come quickly…

Oh well, in the meantime thanks for the amazing support! Let me know what you think of this chapter ;D …Next stop, the desert…


	6. Chapter 6

How the game is played

_*As always, thank you for the beautiful reviews, favs and follows. Phew, I had a hard time finding time to write this one, since I'm on vacation now but here it is: the next chapter! xD_

**Tripp3235 commented: Oh, is Robin going to nurse Regina? That might thaw her out. Good job on the horrors of this place. I am on the edge of my seat. Now if you would like to write in for Regina to sit directly onto Robin's seat I won't mind. :D**

_Thanks, haha we'll see ;) _

**murina commented: This is my new favorite chapter, Regina's and Robin's dialogues are priceless :-D And I am definitely excited for other adventures in Infinite Forest!**

**MyDarlingRose commented: Oh my goodness! This is soo amazing, I love the bickering between Robin and Regina- so much tension hahaha :DD can not wait for the next chapter!**

_My fav part's writing the Robin- Regina banter :D They are just so cute together!_

**Anny Rodrigues asked: Regina is the most stubborn woman I met in my entire life, seriously! But I loved this chapter. Will Robin and Regina will make magic together?**

_She is indeed! Of course they will! :P_

**Lucinda2323 commented: I love that Regina stayed with Robin (especially since she was the one who provoked the plants in the first place lol). So now are we going to see Robin/Regina trying to find Snow/Charming while trying to find the pearl and get back out of the forest alive? I'm excited to see some Robin/Regina alone time - and very curious to find out some back story on Robin's history with magic! I can't wait to see what's waiting for them in the desert!**

_Haha yea it's kinda her fault they are stuck in this predicament now… Yup Snow and Charming's gonna be on their own for a short while… but they will all find each other eventually, no worries xD _

_The desert is gonna be so fun (for me hehe) (:_

**To scifigrrl, genber0398 and guests who reviewed:**

_Thanks! :P_

* * *

Chapter 6

_Good news: the right side didn't pose much danger to them. At least there was no flesh eating plants to worry about. Bad news: there was an unconscious woman lying on the ground beside him. Oh and did he mention she was also heavily poisoned? _Robin knelt down and grabbed hold of her injured arm. Faint black lines could already be seen beside the angry red welt. Damn, he didn't realize the poison would spread so quickly. No wonder the queen collapsed, he frowned. He had a collection of herbs back in the tree house but too bad they weren't at the correct side of the forest and it would take them quite some time to reach the left side, time Regina might not have. As soon as the poison reached her heart, she was dead.

With no time to waste, Robin placed both arms beneath her still figure and gently lifted her up. _She was really light, weighing close to nothing. _Underneath the black cloak and ostentatious layers she wore, the queen was actually quite petite. He had to find the herbs that would help get rid of the poison, and then find shelter for them both before it got too dark. Finding the tree house by nightfall was not in the cards for them.

Eyes searching every shrub they passed, he started to despair when the item he was searching for still remained unfound. If he still couldn't find it soon, there was going to be no other choice but to use magic. And that was not something he looked forward to doing. Robin felt Regina starting to struggle against his hold. Shifted her into a more comfortable position in his arms, he increased his pace. The shrub that held the herbs should be nearing. It was hard to miss with all its needles sticking out. He had to get them before all the light was gone.

"Put me… down," Robin felt a small shove against his chest. She was awake, being her same old stubborn self; he allowed himself a small grin. That was good; at least she wasn't delirious or hallucinating.

"Just hang in there a moment your majesty, we are almost there," he murmured, heaving a sigh of relief when he spotted the shrubs he was searching for. "Okay can you stand for a moment?" he looked down, meeting her hazy brown eyes filled with confusion.

Regina tried a smirk but she suspected it came out more of a grimace as her arm throbbed once more. _What on earth as happening? First she woke up to find herself in the thief's arms with a very sore arm and now he was asking her to stand? To be honest she actually felt quite comfy in his arms… wait Regina, you are not thinking properly. You were poisoned, remember? _"Of course I can stand you idiot… place me down… at once," she told him imperiously, although her voice came out hoarse and wavering.

"As you wish," Robin shook his head, dropping her onto the ground not so gently, although he still kept his hold on her shoulders just in case she was too weak to stand.

Shrugging off his hold, Regina blinked, trying to figure out where they were. All she saw were pointy things (bushes?) and then she felt herself swaying before a hand immediately shot out to hold her in place before she ended up on the ground. Her body felt like a jelly and all she wanted to do was to go to sleep and make the pain in her left arm go away. "Go… away," she slurred.

"Glad to see the poison didn't affect your oh so high and mighty behavior. Just stay here and wait for me," Robin pressed her to the ground firmly.

"Jerk," Regina muttered, her eyes feeling heavy.

"Yup I know, you hate me, nothing's new," Robin chuckled, leaning her against a tree trunk and with one last worried glance, he moved towards the needled shaped bushes, just in time to hear her faint reply.

"Don't hate you… dislike you… a lot…"

He thought of her last sentence as he carefully sliced off the green leaves, making sure not to get pricked by the needles surrounding it. Disliked him. Well that was progress, it was better than hate, he thought, perhaps one day they might even become friends. Then he silently berated himself for even having that thought. _Friends? There was no way the queen would want to be friends with him. _He doubted there was even someone she called a friend in this world.

Gathering up the remaining leaves, he turned around and held back a curse when he saw Regina trying to stand by herself, clutching onto the tree bark for support.

"What do you think you are doing?" He scolded, reaching her in seconds.

She growled, her uninjured hand moving to clutch her head as though she was in pain. "Urgh, you're giving me a headache… just leave me alone…"

_This woman was impossible. _One hand holding the herbs he gathered, he used the other to pull her towards him.

Regina stiffened as she felt herself pulled against a very warm chest. "What do you think you're doing?" she growled, trying to pull back.

"Gosh, are you always that stubborn? I'm trying to save your life here, just so you know," Robin groaned, starting to walk, half dragging Regina along. "You wanted to walk? Well walk,"

"I'm gonna turn you into. A. Rodent," Regina huffed, feeling disorientated.

"I wouldn't count on it," Robin chortled exasperatedly, eyes scouting the clearing in front for a good place to camp overnight, smirking when he felt Regina lean in a little closer to him.

* * *

Meanwhile, in a cozy little tree house, Charming was pacing around the tiny room while Snow fiddled with the array of herbs in the jars placed on a ledge.

"I shouldn't have left them there," Charming muttered, "They should have been back by now. Robin knows this place better than anyone. He wouldn't have gotten lost,"

Snow examined a brownish looking root that lay inside the dusty glass jar and shook it. "Well at least Regina is with him, and both of them know magic. Perhaps they got delayed, most probably they would have found a place to camp overnight and then find a way to meet up,"

Charming opened the fragile piece of paper they had found in a corner of the tree house some time ago. It was a crudely drawn map, with lines separating each section labeled with names like 'the entrance', 'desert', and 'heart' right in the middle. "That's where we are," he jabbed at the 'X' somewhere in between the entrance and the desert. "Robin mentioned a desert so I'm guessing this part of the map should be where we were supposed to go next,"

"Look, this 'heart' should be where the black pearl is. After the desert, there are just three more sections till the heart. The 'nightmare' and two other unnamed zones," Snow shuddered. She guessed the unnamed parts were the places Robin did not venture into. "Nightmare doesn't sound too good,"

"Indeed it doesn't. But right now I doubt we'll be going anyway without Robin's help, and I'm not sure how long we can last up here in this tree without much supplies," Charming gestured to the small pack of food and water canteens. It wouldn't last them for more than a week. "I should head back to check if they are still there. Although why Regina didn't follow us still has me baffled,"

Snow shook her head, "No, we don't even know this place. Going back would only result in us becoming plant food. Perhaps Regina stayed to help Robin," A small smile played on her lips.

"Yea right, those two can't even stay in the same room without killing the other" Charming scoffed. "We should stay here tonight and hope they find us tomorrow. If we do not see them by sunrise, we set off to the desert. No use in staying here and doing nothing. The least we could do is to try finding the pearl and then finding them. Maybe if we find the pearl then it would be even easier to find them since we would be protected from the dangers of this forest,"

For the first time since she stepped foot into the forest, Snow felt helpless. It was not even a day and they were already separated. "Maybe… this wasn't such a good idea after all. I should have listened to you," she bit onto her lower lip. Then she felt hands lifting her chin until she was staring into the blue eyes of her love.

"Hey, don't lose hope. We will find them, and we will find the pearl. Then we'll get rid of the wicked witch once and for all," Charming smiled at her, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

Snow laughed, her features relaxing a little, "Yes we will," Then she turned to Charming, her expression serious once more. "I just hope Regina and Robin are doing okay on their own,"

Charming hugged her, his chin resting on her head, "Let's just hope they don't kill each other before we find them,"

* * *

It was a good thing this place was littered with rocks of various sizes all over, Robin mused as he grinded the leaves into fine powder into a makeshift bowl he crafted out of twigs and branches. He took out his canteen from brown satchel bag and sprinkled some water onto the greenish powder, swishing it around until it became a greenish lump of paste. Gently lifting the bowl up, careful not to spill any his hard work, Robin made his way to the hastily made tent where the queen was asleep inside. Or at least he hoped she was. He let out a breath he hadn't even known he had been holding when he saw the curled up form on the ground, cape and boots still on.

Placing the bowl onto the ground, he squatted down beside Regina and stared. Her hair was still all tied up into a bun with a few lone strands falling down, framing her sleeping features. She looked… peaceful. Careful not to disturb her, Robin reached out and unclasped the hair pin that held her hair in place. It couldn't be very comfortable, he thought, tugging the cold hard metal out of her raven locks, watching in fascination as they tumbled down in soft curls. Wow, he didn't realize her majesty actually had such long hair that almost reached her hips. Without really registering the fact in his brain, his hand reached out on its own accord and grasped a black strand in between his fingers, gently rubbing the smooth tress up and down. Had he ever felt hair that was this soft? It was as though he was touching silk.

"What are you doing?" A sharp croak brought his out of his reverie and he dropped the lock like it was on fire. He found a pair of semi opened hazel eyes watching him sharply through a mist of perplexity.

"Just… checking on you," _He must have sounded so lame._ Robin pointed at the bowl and canteen he brought. "Now that you're up, I'm gonna just clean the wound and apply something to numb the pain and hopefully heal it,"

"What is that?" Regina eyed the foul looking paste warily.

"It's not poison, in case you were wondering," Robin stated blandly, signaling for her to sit up.

Holding back her groan of pain, she lifted herself to a sitting position, ignoring the hand he stretched out to offer her help. "I can heal it myself. I do not need that _stuff_," she sniffed, placing her right arm over the wound and concentrating. She gasped and doubled over when she saw stars. "Oh god, why isn't it working?" she closed her eyes tight, trying to ward of the acute pain that shot through her body. This time she didn't even have the energy to brush of the hand at her back.

"In and out, deep breaths," Robin told her, rubbing his hand up and down her back to soothe the pain, "you are not going to be working your magic any time soon," he informed her dryly, leaning her against the tent's frame. "Now if you can just sit back and let _me _work my magic,"

Regina scowled but didn't resist as he lifted up her arm to inspect it. There was dried blood all around it and the black lines were getting more prominent. That was not looking good.

"You're gonna have to remove that cape thing if you want me to wash the wound," Robin announced. "Might also want to remove the boots as well, those don't look too comfortable,"

She could just ignore him and go back to sleep, Regina told herself. But then what would happen to her wound? She definitely didn't want to die because of some measly poison thanks to a _plant_. Hesitating for a few more seconds, she unclasped her cloak, leaving her boots on. No way was she giving him the satisfaction to see her poor sore feet that surely had blisters all over it by now. Regina felt the cool air brush against her exposed skin and she shivered slightly, feeling quite naked without the black feathered cloak to surround her.

Robin raised an eye brow when she didn't take off her boots but said nothing more and reached for her arm once more, trying his best not to stare at the creamy white flesh she was showing. "This is going to sting," he spoke, lifting up the water canteen.

"Oh just get it over with," Regina rolled her eyes, then let out a shriek as the water touched the wound before clamming her teeth onto her tongue to prevent any sound from escaping her.

"Sorry," Robin muttered, capping the canteen back once the wound was clean enough, bringing the bowl of paste nearer.

"It stinks," Regina wrinkled her nose, glaring at the offending object.

"You'll be thanking it when it takes the pain away," Robin commented wryly, dipping a finger into the gooey mess. Then bringing his finger up, he slowly rubbed it along the red welt, applying as little pressure as he could.

Regina let of a little whimper, gritting her teeth when the paste touch her wound and it felt worst then when Robin had washed the wound. Hundred times worst. "Really? This thing is going to heal my wound?" She let out a bark of pained laughter, looking anywhere but at her throbbing left arm.

"It is. You should feel the effects soon. For someone who inflicts pain so easily, you really have a very low level of pain tolerance. It's just a scratch," Robin looked at her.

Regina felt the anger wash over her instantly. Was he seriously mocking her? She was really going to turn this man into a rat when she had her magic back. "It's poisoned. And I'm in pain not because of the wound, but because I have to put up with the likes of you," she growled, eyes boring into his.

"Uh huh," was all Robin said as a tiny smile crept up his face while he dipped in for more paste.

Regina's mouth fell open in outrage, "You're enjoying this aren't you?" She used her free hand to jab at his chest. "I swear when we return I'm going to… make you scrub every inch of the floors in my palace before frying you into pieces,"

"Don't think the palace is yours now, your maj… oh wait, I don't even have to call you your majesty now, do I?" Robin let out an amused laugh. "What should I call you then? Hmm let's see… how about just Regina?"

Something about the way he said her name sent shivers down her spine and Regina found herself wishing she had her cloak back on. "Don't you even dare say it again. A thief like you is not fit to use my name,"

"It's my mouth, I can do whatever I want to do with it," he shrugged, ripping off a piece of his cloak and tying it around her arm. Then he reached for her boots.

"What are you doing?" Regina squawked when he undid the laces of her boots, too stun to react.

Robin shot her a bland look. "What does it look like I'm doing? Taking of your boots duh," he tugged off her right heel and tutted when he saw the ugly blisters forming on her foot. "Look at this poor baby, tortured by their ornery master,"

Regina saw red and tried to tug her foot back only to have Robin clutch her foot even more tightly, although he was careful not to touch any of the red hives forming on her feet. "You did not just call my foot a baby!" she snarled in offense.

"Well… would you prefer for me to call them tree stumps then?" Robin bit back his laughter when Regina's face turned a shade darker.

"Let go of my foot you ass," she hissed, fury racing through her body. _God, why had she even bothered to stay in the first place?_

"I will once I wash them and apply the remaining paste to them. Wouldn't want to waste it anyway," he nodded at the remnants of the green goop, pouring water over the angry looking blisters and then scooping up some paste to apply on her foot.

Regina almost let out a moan at the feeling of his hands on her foot. It felt heavenly as his fingers slowly massaged the sore areas, spreading the green stuff all over. She slowly felt her eyes closing against her will as she sagged further into the wooden pole that held the tent together. She hoped it wouldn't break. It was only when she felt her other boot being unlaced did her eyes fly open once more. "Stop that," she snapped out, although somewhere in her sleep riddled brain a voice shouted for him to continue whatever he was doing.

"Well who would have known simple foot rub would have made the evil queen moan in delight?" Robin grinned boyishly, tugging her other foot out and repeating his previous administrations.

_He heard that? Could the ground just open up and swallow her now? _Hoping her face was not red, she barked out, "I do not moan. And who gave you permission to even touch my feet?"

Ignoring her outburst, Robin continued to apply the remaining paste onto her foot and like the previous one; he began rubbing the top of the foot, slowly working his way down to the sole of the foot. He watched as Regina's lips quivered a little when he applied more pressure and made small circles with his thumbs, working his way around the entire heel. "You know I do give a good back massage too. All you need to do is ask," he chuckled when she glared at him but said nothing.

Reluctantly he pulled his hand away after a few more rounds. "That should stop the blisters from festering," he told her, "you should probably get some sleep. We'll be getting up before sunrise tomorrow and set off to the desert. Hopefully Snow and Charming will be there too,"

"I'll wake up whenever I like," Regina grounded out, feeling a little puzzled when he just stood in front of her, head cocked to one side. Then when his eyes rested on her wound, she understood. _That man expected her to thank him, the nerve of him. _"You can continue dreaming if you are hoping I'll thank you for assaulting my feet,"

Robin let out an agitated snort of disbelief. "You're welcome," he shook his head, moving to the edge of the tent where he spread out his cloak and laid down on it, his back facing her.

Regina stared at the shadow of his back before lying down on her side of the tent. _At least her hand didn't hurt that much now, unlike when the paste had been first applied. Wait… it had stopped hurting when he starting insulting her level of pain tolerance and they had started bickering. _She closed her eyes and then opened them, turning to the other side.

And then she turned to her right side.

And left.

_Great. Her body wasn't going to let her sleep, now that she realized he was just baiting her so that she wouldn't think of the pain in her arm… and also the feet incident… she wasn't even going to think about that. Still, there was no way she was going to thank him…_

"Good night, thief," she finally muttered, eyes pinned to the top of the tent. She heard Robin stir in his corner but refused to look at him.

As stubborn as usual, Robin thought, making out the outline of her jaw clenched together, head facing skywards. But he couldn't help smiling to himself as he replied,

"Good night, Regina,"

* * *

_A/N: OMG! I think this is going to be my favorite chapter so far. Writing the foot massage scene was so exciting muhahaha… Yup so this chapter was more of Robin- Regina fluff and not as dangerous as the last but it was still so fun to write! I know you guys are looking forward to reading Robin's backstory so it's all gonna be revealed soon…_

_Side note: How I wish I was able to be in Paris for the Fairytales Con… :( Alas I ended up touring some other part of the world… but still fun though xD_

_Hope you guys enjoyed this one. :D_


	7. Chapter 7

How the game is played

_*As usual, I am forever grateful to the lovely reviews and alert subscriptions I have received. Thank you, you guys are truly amazing!_

**grace de gold commented: Ohhh I loved this chapter! Especially when Regina moaned letting Robin know that she was enjoying it. I hope there will be some more rubbing...in other areas.. ;)**

_Haha I hope so too… (;_

**narly commented: I love the snark between them but...it just always seems like Regina come off as 'losing' in the snarkiness/arguments ,LOL. Maybe I'm just still very sensitive about how season 3 ending with everyone getting their 'happy ending' (for now), and Regina getting hurt (like always). I'm liking the whole 'light/dark' magic and that Robin in involved in that (in a most unusually way I never would have thought of)...will Regina also get some 'light magic' here too (double meaning totally intended, LoL)? Loving the story...can't wait for the next chapter. :-)**

_Hehe she most definitely will, one way or another (smirks) as for Regina coming off as 'losing'… hmm I think we are going to see Regina's kicking some ass soon (ahem, hopefully not Robin's. Opps.) _

**Lucinda2323 commented: Love the foot rub bit! I'm very curious to see what happens the next day in the desert! And from the map Snow found in the tree house, it sounds like the forest gets worse and worse the further in you go. Which should make for some pretty great adventures for our group :)**

_Yes, yes, yes indeed! Hang on tight dearies :P_

**Guest commented: Love your story! And I vote for more Robin and Regina alone time, if possible! Please! Love the Charmings, but they get in the way.**

_Order taken, more Regina- Robin alone time to be served :D_

**scifigrrl commented: Awesome; loved it!**

**Guest commented: Excellent chapter, every chapter is even better than the last one that was already perfect.**

_Aww… thanks so much, your reviews mean the world to me… (Takes a bow)_

**Hurricane Jackson asked: Awesome story so far! I'm loving the dynamic between Robin and Regina right now! Can we see Robin do some pretty cool magic soon? If so, awesome. Please update ASAP!**

_Of course, your wish is my command (;_

**Tripp3235 commented: I was just thinking about your FF today! I love the banter too and I think this was done very well. She's hurt and probably a bit delirious so I like that she's still Regina but actually a little bit kinder ("I don't hate you") and I love how Robin handles her.**

_Thank you! We'll be seeing more of Regina's soft side and maybe even her backstory… xD_

**murina commented: It's truly getting better and better!**

_Aww Thanks! :)_

_xxxx_

_A/N: Okay so just so you know, this is an AU story so I'm not going to exactly follow the characters' backstories based on the show so please don't freak out if you see stuff that… well, shocks? Horrifies? (hopefully not) That said, happy reading!_

* * *

Chapter 7

_ He was free, finally. Free of the clutches that bound him to his duty and honor. The 'duty' of taking over the role of Duke of Nottingham from his dying grandfather and the 'honor' of watching hundreds die of starvation as the aristocrats sampled dishes that could feed their people for a few winters to come. That was why he had decided to make the decision of leaving the castle. After all he never really belonged there; he was born the only son of a lowly locksmith and his wife. Little did he know his father was actually the estranged son of the Duke of Nottingham who fell in love with a chambermaid. His papa lost his life in a robbery gone wrong when he was fifteen and from that fateful day, his mama lost her will to live and one day, she just didn't wake up. Soon, the knights came to claim him from the streets where he had spent his days begging for scraps and he was told that he was the heir to the Dukedom. They gave him fancy clothes to wear, never ending food to eat, and lessons after lessons, but he was never happy. He didn't understand why there was always so much food served when so many where starving outside the walls of the castle. And when he finally did, he made up his mind. Weeks after the eighteen year old boy disappeared from the castle, there were tales of a notorious bandit who stole from the rich and gave to the poor. No one ever saw his face, only the green hood that shadowed his every move. Robin Hood. _

Robin awoke with a start. He had been dreaming again, dreaming about his past. That had not happened in years, since he left this place. Eyes glancing at the darkness around him, he deduced he had at least an hour before dawn came. Careful not to wake the sleeping form across him, he got out of his 'bed' and exited the tent, needing some fresh air to clear his mind. He wasn't going to fall sleep anytime soon so he might as well start making breakfast.

As Robin stepped out the tent, Regina slowly opened her eyes. Pursing her lips, she forced herself into a sitting position, ignoring the protests of her aching muscles. _Oh how she missed her old comfy bed. _Rotating her arm, she was pleasantly surprise to find that there was no pain at all. _Seems that the green stuff did work wonders after all._ Her eyes strayed to the tent's flap and she found herself wondering what had made the thief wake up so early. She had a rough idea it was a bad dream of some sorts. In fact his tossing and turning had woken her up long before he woke up himself. Shaking of the last vestiges of sleep, she got up, deciding not to put on her boots before washing out the paste that had now dried up and was glued all over her soles. _Urgh._ Also. She would perhaps try to find out where the thief had went, after all she wouldn't put it past him to ditch her in this tent while he and the un-Charmings headed off to their own little expedition.

_Yea right, _a voice inside her head nagged, _you sure that's the only reason?_

It wasn't hard to spot the hunching figure even in the darkness. But something wasn't even quite right. Robin was too still, almost blending in with the rock he was sitting on motionlessly. Frowning, Regina cleared her throat and walked up to him.

No reply. Not even a twitch or his usual trademark quips. Something was definitely wrong. Reaching out to grab his shoulders, Regina shook him, "hey thief, wake up,"

She started to worry when he finally lifted his head and stared into her eyes. In the darkness, she could see the pain in them, the haunting look frozen on his face.

"I'm so sorry," Regina blinked and was about to reply when she realized he wasn't talking to her, rather it seemed he was talking to himself. _Great. Were there any ways to wake someone up from a dream… or hallucination_, Regina mused. _Of course there was true love's kiss but that was out of the question, _she rolled her eyes.

All of a sudden, Robin reached out and grasped her hand tightly, eyes wild and glazed.

"What the he-" Regina tugged, trying in vain to pull her arm back. Although it was healed, there was still an unpleasant ache when Robin dug his fingers into her arm.

"Please don't leave. I'm so sorry, it was all my fault… I should have told you I loved you, Marian," Regina stiffened, and for a second she contemplated just standing there doing nothing until he broke free of whatever place it was he was dreaming off now. Whoever this Marian person was, she definitely held a huge place in Robin's heart for him to drift off into such a deep trance. Then she curled her lips and made up her mind. No, she wouldn't stand by idly and listen as Robin talked about some woman he loved. Taking in a deep breath, she reaches out with her free hand and slapped him. Hard.

"Ouch!" Robin's head spun to the side as the slap resounded through the silence. After what seemed like eternity, he finally glanced at Regina, his gaze hooded.

"Perhaps now that you've awoken from your _stupor_, you could release my hand?" Regina gritted out.

When his eyes reached the hands digging into her skin, they widened in horror and Robin immediately realized his actions. "I'm so sorry… I…" he sighed, running his hand through his dishevelled hair. "We should get going if we want to catch up with the prince and princess… and also find some water to wash away the residue," he brushed off flakes of green that had clung to his fingers when he had grabbed her.

* * *

As Robin packed up the little items they had brought with them, Regina rinsed away the dried up green pigment with water Robin gotten from cutting open the stem of some kind of tree. The silence was getting to her nerves and before she could think twice, she asked, "Who's Marian? Your wife?" then she bit her lips, aghast. _What on earth had made her say that?_ "It's okay, I don't really want to find out," she added in hastily.

For a long time there was no reply and Regina thought perhaps Robin decided not to bother acknowledging her presence at all. After all she did slap the man. Then she saw him signal for her to leave and she gathered her stuff, getting up to follow him.

"You know what; I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you about my past life if you tell me about yours," Robin's reply came so unexpectedly that Regina almost tripped, catching herself at the very last second.

She lifted an incredulous brow. "What? You want to know about the innocents I've slaughtered? The pain I've inflicted on so many?"

Meeting her gaze coolly, Robin clucked his tongue, "No, what I meant was I want to know who you were once before you became you know, the queen,"

"You mean the evil queen," Regina chuckled harshly, "What makes you even think such a woman exists? Perhaps I was born with the blackest heart of them all, pure evil,"

Robin gave her a droll look. "Oh please, evil isn't born, it's made. And moreover, only someone who has experienced lost love before knows when someone else has undergone the same thing. So if you were able to love someone once, how evil can you be?"

This time Regina didn't even falter in her steps. She just kept on walking, not even bothering to see if she was going the correct way. _How on earth had he known?_ Her heart clenched. _God, it had been so long since she even thought about Daniel. She had almost believed the pain would fade away one day. And now it was back, worse than ever, thanks to the thief. _

"Why would you even want to know?" she uttered at last, her voice devoid of any emotion.

"Perhaps I want to get to know you better," Robin shrugged uncomfortably. _This was a bad idea, _he told himself, _and it wasn't wise to upset the queen. He had just ruined whatever possible chances of them ever being on friendly terms, _he grimaced.

It was a shock for the both of them when Regina finally spoke. "I was born a princess. _Princess Regina_," she snorted. "Didn't really lead the typical princess type of life though. Then there was Snow white… I saved her life and in return, received a marriage proposal from a man thrice my age. But my heart belonged to another. That was when we decided to get married, Daniel and I. But he was just a stable boy and me… I was a coward, too afraid to do anything besides running away. Before we could even do so… my mother, Cora… she ripped out his heart and… she… she crushed it to pieces. So I guess in a way, I did kill my one and only love of my life," Regina's voice had grown hysterical despite her efforts to keep her tone nonchalant. "So I guess that's it, the story of my screwed up life," she forced herself to sound detached once more, but at least the burning in her chest had lessened tremendously.

Robin was studying her with an undecipherable emotion in his eyes. "You mentioned Cora? There's only one Cora I know of so far, and that's the Queen…"

"Of hearts, yup that's my mother dearest," Regina sneered, then continued when she met Robin's confused look. "I sort of pushed her into this enchanted mirror where she was banished to Wonderland,"

"Wow… and your father?" Robin asked hesitantly.

Regina bit on the insides of her cheek. This was the harder part. Pushing her mother into the mirror was one thing, there was no lost love between them… she used to love her mother but it was a pity her mother never saw her as her own daughter, rather, Regina was just another tool to enable Cora to achieve what she wanted. Her father, on the other hand, well it was hard to say whether Regina was still angry at him for not standing up to her mother when she was punished for no reason or when he did nothing as she was suspended ten feet above the air. Yet, her father never once scolded her; he was always the one who sneaked her secret meals when Regina was supposedly under "room detention" as ordered by her mother. Henry Mills had stood by her when she married the King, comforting her as she sobbed silently under the apple trees. He never once complained when Regina became the Evil Queen, giving him the ultimatum of either staying as her valet or leaving the kingdom. She would never have admitted this, but she actually did love her father, a lot. And being the evil queen, it meant that she would have a lot of enemies who would stoop to nothing to destroy her, that included harming the people she cared about. If she wanted to protect her father, she had to be the evil queen, not a naïve young girl. If her mother had taught her anything, it was that love was indeed a weakness.

Then Regina remembered she had yet to answer Robin's question and she shrugged, her voice quite steady surprisingly, "He works for me now,"

"I see," Robin answered, deep in thought. Then he remembered the deal he had made with Regina. "I guess in a way, I killed my love of my life too," he smiled humourlessly and Regina sneaked a peek at his taut face.

"Marian… she was… well she wasn't my wife… in fact she was someone else's wife. She was running away from her abusive husband when she stumbled upon my camp. I was, well a reckless naïve young man back then. When she first entered my camp, she was bruised and bleeding, begging for help… and then she just collapsed onto the ground. I took her in and by some miracle, she pulled through and survived and gradually, we fell in love," his voice took on a wistful tone and for a moment, Regina wondered if he even knew where he was heading as he continued walking and talking.

"Then Marian got pregnant. We were so happy… but I should have known better. She started having daily cramps and had to remain in the bed for most of the time. The doctor said her body had endured too much suffering prior to the baby and there was a high chance the babe wasn't going to make it. But Marian refused to give up the baby and I didn't do anything to stop her… when it was time for the baby's birth, everything started to go wrong… Marian… she just fainted and never woke up. And I remember feeling so numb and helpless as I watched the woman I love die while I held the most beautiful baby boy in my arms. She died minutes later, only managing to give our boy a name. Roland," Robin broke off, choking back a sob.

Regina felt something wet filling up behind her eyes that seemed suspiciously like tears. Blinking them back, she murmured a barely audible, "I'm sorry" and looked away, unable to stare at Robin's pained expression any longer.

Shaking his head sadly, Robin took in deep breathes and when he was certain he had his composure back, he pointed at the greenery in front. "Well, enough about my life stories, you see that patch of grass in front?"

If Regina sensed the subject about his family was closed, she did not mention anything, even though there were a million questions whizzing past her brain at the moment like what happened to his son and how was he able to perform light magic. "Erm… yea? I see grass, everywhere?"

"Yes but if you were to look closely, you'll see a faint indention in the grass that forms a straight line," Robin pointed out.

Squinting, Regina followed the direction of his finger. "Oh, I see it now!"

"That's the border. Once we cross it, we enter the desert," Robin explained.

_The desert. That name didn't bode well with her. _Somehow she doubted this desert would be filled with pyramids and camels. It sounded outright sinister.

"Hey, by the way, you still owe me a favour," Robin interrupted her pondering.

Regina gave him a look of disbelief, "Seriously? And pray tell, what is this apparent _favour_ that I owe you?"

Robin raised his brow, wagging one finger at her, and she resisted the urge to laugh, "I saved your life, remember? If it weren't for me, you would have probably been poisoned to death by now,"

_He had to be kidding. _Rolling her eyes, Regina thought of letting him know that she was the one who saved him from the plants in the first place, but she really wasn't in the mood for a lengthy debate right then, not after catching a glimpse into his mysterious past. "_Fine_, I'm not going to bother contradicting you. I owe you a favour, happy?" she drawled.

Robin smirked, and Regina watched in fascination as a dimple formed on the left corner of his cheeks. "Great, so if you don't mind, I would like to collect my favor now,"

Suddenly wary, Regina narrowed her eyes at him. What kind of favour did he want from her? Her mind raced at the possibilities. _Perhaps he needed a potion? A spell? Or… maybe he wanted something different… like a kiss? Wait what? Where had that even come from? _

"That depends,"

Robin grinned, "Well, I would like us to become friends," he stretched out an arm.

Regina's mouth fell open and she was pretty sure she resembled a gasping goldfish out of water at that instance. "Friends?" scepticism flowed into her words, "Let me get this straight, you want to be _friends_ with me, the evil queen?"

To his credit, the outlaw didn't even bat an eyelash. "Yes I do want to be friends with you. Although I'm not quite sure on the evil part. I do believe everyone has some good in them,"

"Oh trust me, there's no space for goodness in my heart," Regina scoffed, snapping her jaw shut.

"Well, regardless of that, I would like to be your friend. So can we shake on it? Is it a deal?"

Regina glanced down at his outreached arm and for a long period of time, she sorted through the confusing thoughts running through her mind. Finally, she told herself, _what harm can there be in making friends with an outlaw, ignoring the fact that if she did, he was going to be her first and only friend? After all she did sort of owe him some form of favour for his green concoction… After all, talking to him wasn't actually that bad…_

Her hazel eyes met his blue ones and she reached out, grasping his fingers in a firm handshake. As their bare hands met, tiny jolts of electricity ran through her body.

"It's a deal. We're friends,"

* * *

_A/N: Okay so I know I have promised to start on their adventure in the desert but I'm sorry, I just got so carried away with the Robin- Regina moments urgh! Anyhow, the next chapter will be about the desert, I swear! Hopefully I'll be able to update in a few days' time._

_Do let me know what you guys think of the story so far. And also, about Robin and Regina's short back stories. Too little? Too much? Too different? ;)_


	8. Chapter 8

How the game is played

_Thank you for the lovely reviews!_

**Guest commented: Here is an idea; at some point maybe when they enter the nightmare place that is shows what you fear the most and it shows king leopold for regina and then robin starts to realize there is more too regina. Just an idea but its your story do whatever you like.**

_Thanks, that's quite a good idea… :P _

**murina commented: Awesome chapter again but I hope them being friends doesn't mean not more snarking at each other :-) because their banter is like the best thing ever. And I am curious where is Roland.**

_Haha of course not… as for the latter, ;)_

**Anny Rodrigues commented: Now they are friends, I'm very excited about it, I'm sorry, I missed the chapter 6, but now I've read everything and I'm more in love every day for your fic.**

_Awww… thanks (: Glad you enjoyed it!_

**To Darley1101, Hurricane Jackson, Lucinda2323 and guests who reviewed:**

_Thank you! Really appreciate it :D_

* * *

Chapter 8

As Regina trudged through the grassy plain, her mind replayed the conversation take took place between Robin and her minutes ago. _A friend. _She still couldn't believe she had agreed to become friends with him. Unable to keep her thoughts to herself any longer, she turned to face the outlaw.

"Why?"

Robin looked puzzled. "Why what?"

Regina bit her lip, huffing in exasperation, "You know what. Why me? Why waste your favor on being friends with someone like me?"

"Is it that hard to accept? That someone wants to be your friend?" The man known as the prince of thief replied, partly amused and yet a little irritated that Regina just could not entertain the notion that he just wanted to be friends with her without any ulterior motives.

For a long time, Regina was quiet, before she answered, "Yes it is, because I don't _make_ friends," It was her way of saying, no one ever made friends with the evil queen.

Robin opened his mouth, and then shut it, not knowing exactly how he should reply to that. And that was when the idea struck him. _Why had he not thought of it before? _"Well, I know what we can do," he rubbed his hands together, like an excited schoolboy about to unwrap his Christmas gifts.

"What?" Regina queried.

"A trust fall, you know, where someone leans back and falls while the friend catches him," Robin gestured.

"I know what a trust fall is you nitwit, and there's no way I'm gonna be doing that with you," The image of her falling backwards into the thief's arms made her scoff.

By then they had made it to the border and Regina turned back to Robin, arms crossed in expectation when she realized he had not moved from his previous spot. _Oh god, he was serious._

"Seriously?" She hissed at him, eyes narrowed.

"Mmm Hmm," Robin nodded earnestly, his eyes wide and oh so innocent. _Yea right,_ Regina rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she relented, "but if you let me fall and break my back, I swear, you're going to wish you were never…"

"Tsk, Regina, I promise, I will catch you, you can trust me," Robin smiled. Regina heart almost skipped a beat for a minute there; _he really meant what he said_.

Pursing her lips, she turned back and prayed that she wasn't making a mistake. Her magic wasn't yet fully back and she wasn't sure she could fix her back if she broke it.

"Ok, now just lean back slowly Regina," Robin urged.

Closing her eyes, Regina wondered how she had even agreed to this and letting out on last breath, she let herself fall back.

The sensation of free falling was quite… exhilarating, she had to admit. For a moment, she felt fear, but then there was the rush of wind in her face and for a second, she felt like a seventeen year old girl again, young and carefree. And then a pair of string arms wrapped itself around her and she was staring into the deepest pair of blue eyes she had ever seen. _Robin. _

"Told you I would catch you," He grinned. _Darn, what was it with that damn dimple that intrigued her so much?_

"You're lucky you did," she retorted, "you can let me go now,"

"Yes, I should," Robin stated, although he made no move to release his grip on her and neither did she try to get up. They just stared into each other's' eyes and Robin's gaze dropped to her lips as he leaned in closer. Regina's breath caught and she found herself wondering if he was going to kiss her.

"Regina!" A high pitched squeal interrupted them and Regina immediately jumped out the archer's arms, straightening her dress just in time to Snow White barrel straight into her, enveloping her in a hug.

Regina froze, not used to the warm human contact, clearly not from Snow White. "What… are you… doing?" She had meant for her voice to sound cold and harsh, instead she sounded bewildered.

Snow must have realized her actions as she immediately pulled away, a sheepish look on her glowing face. "You're alive," Her face glowed with joy.

"Obviously," Regina curled her lip, still quite dumbfounded. Had Snow White, her arch enemy, just _hugged _her?

"Well, I'm just glad you're back," Snow's tone told her she wasn't lying and Regina wasn't sure what to say. _After all, she did try to destroy Snow White's happiness so wouldn't Snow want her dead?_

Robin cleared his throat, "Now that we are all reunited one more, I say we start for the desert now when there's still light,"

"Yes we should," Charming nodded, walking towards the border just as Robin stretched out his hand, stopping him in place.

"Wait… there's two things you guys need to know. We can't enter… not with a heart,"

"What?" Regina, Snow and Charming exclaimed in union, shock marring their expressions.

"Yea," Robin grimaced a little, "It's sort of like a rule of the forest. With a heart, they can hear you and then you're dead meat,"

Snow frowned, "And you know this how?"

"Because I read the sign?" Robin gestures to the big rock at the side of the entrance. As everyone gathered round it, Regina could vaguely make out the engravings on it.

_Step right into the sand. We can hear the hearts beating. Yummy food for us._

"They aren't the brightest of all creatures," Robin shrugged.

"They?" Regina asked.

His eyes met hers. "Yes. The desert sirens,"

"Maybe it's just a trick, a trick to scare us," Charming volunteered.

"Do you think I was the only one who got sent here?" Robin commented wryly, his eyes blank, "There were two others with me when we were sent to the forest and… well… they didn't make it out,"

"And you did?" Snow inquired.

Robin blinked twice, before forcing a smile onto his face, "Let's just say that I got lucky,"

Although Robin's tone was neutral, Regina could immediately sense the underlying anger and frustration that rolled off him in waves. "So what then? We rip our hearts out?"

"I have a bag that's enchanted with a cloaking spell that will camouflage the hearts while we cross the desert," Robin produced a flimsy looking pouch that shimmered, appearing to be different shades of colour each second, "All you need to do is to get our hearts out and this pouch will do the rest. I assume you are able to do so, Regina?"

"That wouldn't be a problem for you and me, unfortunately for those two," Regina jerked a thumb at Charming and Snow, "they are going to have to find a way to do it themselves,"

Robin sighed exasperatedly. This was so not the time for Regina to start digging up whatever past feud she had (or still has) with the princess. Sure, he had heard the stories about how the evil queen wanted her step daughter dead, but still, "Come on, Regina, look I know you guys don't see eye to eye…"

"No, you look here, it's not me who's unwilling to rip their hearts out, trust me, I would just love to do so. But unfortunately _circumstances _have left me unable to even pluck a strand of hair from their heads. So don't you dare Regina me," Regina growled, glaring at Robin angrily. _So much so for being friends. She didn't have much experience when it came to friendship, but she did know one thing; friends stood by each other. And what Robin did, assuming she did not want to help because of her grudge against the two idiots… it made her feel… disappointed. And she was mad at herself for even feeling that way. _

"It's us," Snow smiled apologetically, "we… umm, there's a protection spell on Charming and me to prevent Regina from ever harming us again, after you know… what had happened,"

Robin's mouth formed a wordless "oh" and he glanced at Regina, "Regina, I'm…"

"Don't bother. You know what, I don't care what you or anyone thinks about me. All I care about is getting the pearl and when I do so, I'm going to enjoying crushing that oh so pure heart of Snow White," Regina barred her teeth, a cruel smile forming on her lips. Yet she didn't feel the thrill of happiness that would usually sweep through her. And that frightened her. Well, she would just have to make sure she got Snow White's heart once they retrieved the pearl. She would get it, "So until then, I suggest you find a way to get their hearts out instead of dear evil me,"

Something flashed in Robin's eyes. Was that guilt? Pain? Remorse? She didn't know and didn't want to, "Well what are you waiting for? You have magic, rip _their _hearts out," Regina barked out.

"I… I've never done this kind of stuff before," Robin pursed his lips. He was really such a fool. He had said the wrong thing, immediately assuming that it was Regina who did not wanted to do so. He thought wrong, and now, he had just lost whatever small trust Regina had in him, thanks to his own stupidity.

Regina rolled her eyes, mouth curving into a sinister sneer, "Of course not, because you're such a benevolent thief who practices in _light _magic… and now you need the help of the evil queen,"

"Regina, will you stop it," Robin gritted out, unable to take it any longer, "I am sorry for my wrong assumption, I really am… but this is not you,"

Hatred and contempt flashed in Regina's eyes as she stepped forwards until their noses were almost touching on another's. "Oh but this _is _me, I am the evil queen and nothing's going to change that. Befriending me wasn't going to change a thing, I will get my revenge and nothing's going to stop me from doing so," she spat out. _She was such a fool. Why had she even agreed to be friends with him? All he wanted was to change her, try to curb the evil in her, they always did. He was no different. _

"I wasn't..." Robin sighed, a look of resignation crossing his face, "Look, we will talk about this later… right now, how does one pull out a heart?" he grimaced.

"There's nothing else to talk about," Regina retorted, "As for the heart ripping part, it's actually very simple. You stick your hand in, make sure you grip the heart, and pull it out. Of course, if you're feeling magnanimous today, you could do me a favor and squeeze both their hearts to dust," then, she proceeded sticking her hand into her chest and giving it a hard tug, Regina was holding her blackened beating heart in her hands. Grinning nastily, she looked Robin right in his eyes, "I _assume _that even a lowly thief like you would be able to do something as simple as that?"

Without missing a beat, she spun around and stalked off, pretending to study the path in front keenly. Instead, she felt angry and hollow as for a moment back there, staring at her tainted heart, she found herself wondering what it would have been like to have had a pure red heart.

Regina had not lied when she said it was quite simple really. Robin managed to get both Charming and Snow's heart out, although he had a few small hiccups with the former's, resulting in Charming jerking in pain a few times while Robin tried to tug the heart out. But all in all, he had managed to get their hearts out with a few tries and now he was left with his own.

Biting his lips, he angled his hand right outside the left part of his chest and wincing inwardly, he plunged his hand in. he felt awkward trying to find a good grip on his heart and with a quick tug, the beating object was lying in his hands. As he peered closely, he realized his heart was different from the Charmings'. While the Charmings' were purely red, his contained two tiny black dots right in the middle of the redness.

* * *

They had been walking across the forest, or rather, sand for half a day now. Regina now understood why Robin had called it the dessert. As soon as their feet touched the grass, the grass blades turned into sand and began piling up within seconds until it reached their ankles, which made it harder for them to trek through the place. Yet, she still had not seen any signs of the 'desert sirens' Robin mentioned. Perhaps it was best they didn't, although Regina had been doing her best to avoid the thief by walking ahead of the rest, she felt constricted and as though she was suffocating, and that had little to do with the blazing heat. Part of her hoped the sirens would show themselves and then she would have something to kill, somewhere to channel all the emotions boiling in her now.

Reaching to her side for her water canteen, she bit back a roar of frustration when she realized there was no more water left in it.

"Here," a water canteen was thrust towards her. Thinking it belonged to Robin, she was about to walk right past him when she realized the voice sounded… female. Turning to her left, she saw Snow White with her hand outstretched.

"What now, princess?" Regina scoffed, while her insides screamed. She was not in a mood to face Snow White now. She was exhausted and all she wanted to do was to wring her hands around that fragile little neck and snap it into two, which she unfortunately was unable to do so.

Sensing Regina was about to walk off, Snow stepped in front of her and blocked her way.

"Do you have a death wish," Regina lashed out, although they both knew it was an empty threat.

Seeing that Regina wasn't going to accept her canteen, Snow capped it back before continuing, "Regina, I know things haven't been exactly great between us… but I just want you to know, I don't hate you for trying to kill me,"

"Your loss," was all Regina could manage. _Snow was lying. She had to get out of here before her head exploded._

"No I get it, I really do. You want revenge. But Regina, there's more to life than just revenge… I have made up my mind. When we get the pearl, I want you to get rid of the protection spell on me. Whether you choose to kill me or not, I leave that entirely up to you. But just so you know, I believe there is still good in you, you don't have to be a hero, but neither do you have to be the villain. If you just give yourself a chance to find happiness, you will find life so much more meaningful and better," Snow smiled.

Regina raged, "Oh but my dear, I did find my happiness once, I found someone I loved. A pity you just couldn't keep your mouth shut huh. And now he's dead,"

"I was naïve and young, Regina, am for that I truly am sorry," Snow's eyes watered, "but you do have a second chance now,"

Confusion filled Regina's eyes, "What are you talking about?"

Snow looked at her with shining eyes, leaning in as though she was about to reveal a big secret, "Why Robin Hood of course!"

Regina was at a loss for words and it took her a while before she finally found her voice, "Robin and I are not… We are not… I…"

Snow reached out and patted her arm, to Regina's horror, "I know, I felt that way with Charming too…" she shook her head dreamily, "but then we realized what we had was special, it was true love,"

Regina jerked her hand back as though it was burning. "I do not love Robin!"

"Perhaps not yet," Snow's grin was cryptic, "I've seen how you and Robin interacted… it's definitely something,"

Speak of the devil. Right at that moment, Robin appeared in front of her. "Regina, can I speak to you for a moment?"

Before Regina could reply him with a 'no', Snow beat her to it, "Of course, I was just leaving," turning to Regina, she murmured, "think about what I just said,"

"What did she say?" Robin raised an eyebrow, breaking the awkward silence.

Regina contemplated to just ignore him but then realized he most probably wouldn't give up and would continue to hound her until she replied. "Nothing. Now leave me alone,"

"Wait," Robin implored, "Just let me say something, will you?"

"If I say no, will you go?" Regina answered irritatedly.

Robin shot her a look that made her weak in the knees. Why she felt that way though, she didn't understand. "No, I won't, not until you hear what I have to say first,"

The look in his eyes made her hesitate. "Fine. Three minutes, that's all you'll get,"

Robin let out a breath of relief, "Thank god. Look I just want to say I'm sorry for doubting you, okay? I really am. But you were wrong. I didn't want to be your friend because I thought I could change you or anything. I have no intention of trying change who you are, I just want to get to know you better, both as the evil queen and Regina Mills. So, will you forgive me and give us another chance to be friends?"

Regina blinked, her head spinning. Some part of her wanted to tell him he could jolly well kiss her ass but yet another part of her yearned to tell him he was forgiven, because sad to say, she did quite enjoy the short time they had spent together as friends.

"I can get down on one knee and beg if you want me to," Robin put in, sounding hopefully and fearful at the same time. He really hoped Regina would be willing to let him in again, being friends with Regina, even as the evil queen, had been quite a pleasant experience.

"Perhaps I should," Regina slowly allowed herself a small smile.

"You know you should really smile more often, it makes you look really… less menacing," Robin bit his tongue. He had almost said beautiful. It was true, the queen was beautiful, but Robin doubted she would want to hear that from him right now.

Regina raised a regal brow and sniffed, "Well fear can be a powerful tool," Eyes darting over to glance at him, she finally relented, "Fine, you're forgiven…"

Before she had time to finish, she was pulled into Robin's warm chest as he engulfed her in a big hug. Regina stiffened. What was it with today that kept making people want to hug her? First Snow and now Robin? Next what, Charming? Regina shuddered, she would rather get turned into a bug than be embraced by that idiot. They stood there for god new how long, Regina not daring to make any eye contact with Robin, staring straight at his green cloak.

"I'm really sorry," Robin murmured into her hair. Slowly, she felt her tense muscles relaxing and she awkwardly reached around him and patted him on the back.

"Hey, it's alright, I didn't know you missed being friends with the evil queen that much," Regina quipped.

Robin drew back a little, his hands still resting on her back, and he stared right into her hazel eyes. "Regina, you may think of yourself as the evil queen, but I do think there's a part of you that's just so… intriguing, you know?"

Regina's mouth felt dry, as though it was stuffed with sandpaper. "I…" she trailed off as Robin's eyes fell to her lips.

_ What was he doing? Was he going to kiss her? Should she kiss him?_ Yes you should, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Snow White reverberated through her ears. Her throat dry in anticipation, Regina closed her eyes as Robin leaned forward. His lips gently touched hers.

"Oh my god! What just happening?" The alarmed voice of Snow White rang out somewhere near them, and Regina and Robin broke apart immediately.

Regina's felt flushed, and she was sure it was redder than her shade of lipstick. She was beyond mortified. What had just happened? Was that a kiss? And why were her legs feeling so weak right now. Plus, there was this weird tingling in her belly she couldn't explain.

Pushing her feelings aside for the moment, Regina moved towards Snow, deliberately not meeting Robin's gaze. She had thought that Snow had witnessed the kiss and had shrieked but now, she realized both Snow and Charming's backs were turned and they most probably didn't see what had transpired between Robin and her. So what was it that had Snow panicking?

"What's wrong?" she hissed angrily at them. If only Snow hadn't interrupted, again. Maybe… Regina shook her head. Her mind was still a lump of mess. Now was not the time to dwell on her almost kiss with Robin, or whatever that was called.

"I just… found him here… it was as though he appeared out of thin air!" Snow's voice was close to hysterical.

"Found who?" Regina frowned. What on earth was she blabbering about?

"The boy," Charming stepped away, revealing a dazed looking young boy with messy brown locks.

Regina's mouth fell open. Who was he? Just as she was about to comment, there was a loud gasp behind her and she turned around.

Robin stood behind her, his eyes wide and haunted.

"Roland?"

* * *

_T.B.C_

_A/N: Ok, so I had to end it here. But hello there Roland! :) Btw, I do hope I haven't been going too fast with the Regina- Robin relationship… I just had to have them kiss, even if it was just a quick peck for less than a second ;D_


	9. Chapter 9

How the game is played

_A/N: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy ;)_

**Lucinda2323 commented: Ooooh Roland! Didn't see that coming - was Marian perhaps the other individual who went into the forest with Robin and didn't make it out? I do like the pace of the relationship so far - not too fast and not too slow either. I like that they're hitting snags, though, because that just seems a little more in character with the Evil Queen to me, that she wouldn't trust that someone would want to be her friend with no ulterior motives. And the hug from Snow was priceless! I'm hoping we'll get to see some more Snow/Regina bonding during this story as well - I absolutely adore their relationship.**

_Haha Marian's already dead when Robin was sent to the infinite forest. That's all I'm saying for now :D_

**To everyone else who reviewed and have showed so much support for this story so far:**

_A big thank you to each and every one of you! It really, really do mean a lot to me xD It's really been a pleasure reading all the reviews I've received, and… so big hugs for you guys :P_

_Now without further ado…_

* * *

Chapter 9

"Roland my boy, is that you?" Robin took a tentative step towards the little boy who was staring at his surroundings with a confused expression.

"How did he get here?" Regina queried. It didn't take long to put two and two together to realize the boy with the tousled hair was Robin's son.

Both Charmings faced her with a half panicked half stumped look, mouths opening and closing wordlessly. If she wasn't so desperate for answers, Regina would have laughed. "Well, anytime now?" She gestured sarcastically.

"I don't know!" Snow finally threw her hands up into the air.

_Great. That was so helpful._ Regina turned to Charming.

"I... there was this popping sound and the next thing I knew... the boy was right behind us," Charming offered with a shrug, his eyes still fixated on Roland.

"Roland... Where have you been my boy? How did you get here?" Robin covered the distance between him and the little boy in a few steps, kneeling down and drawing his son to his chest.

That was when Regina realized something wasn't quite right. The boy had no reaction of a kid who was just reunited with his papa. In fact, he looked downright... terrified.

"Robin..." Regina started to warn him. But it was too late.

Roland's little mouth flew open and he let out a shrill cry of terror, his tiny hands bunching into fists that pounded on Robin's chest while he struggled to escape.

"I don't think he remembers who you are," Regina whispered, her heart aching for the man on his knees in front of her. There was nothing more heart breaking than a child not recognizing his parents. _Was this how sorrow felt like? Regina's heart clenched as she watched Robin slowly withdraw from the petrified boy, his blue eyes widening in shock and agony. How many times had she ordered the death of innocents just because they were unwilling to reveal where Snow White was. How many of the people she murdered actually had families? Little kids like Roland? God... Regina suddenly felt ill. Had she really caused that much pain and misery in the midst of her thirst for revenge? Was it even worth it? _Unable to keep her eyes on Robin's face any longer, she stared straight onto the sand that had gathered around her feet instead.

"Roland?" Robin whispered, his voice wavering with uncertainty now.

Roland's lower lip trembled. "Who are you? How do you know my name?"

And then Robin let out a guttural cry, falling to the ground. He felt this terrible weight bearing down on his shoulders. It was as if a giant boulder had been laid on him and he couldn't straighten up or catch his breath entirely._ Why couldn't Roland remember who he was? _

"Robin..." Regina started reaching out towards him, but at the last second, she withdrew her arm. What was she trying to do? Comfort Robin? She doubted Robin wanted the comfort of the evil queen right now.

"Who are you people? Why am I here?" Roland's voice came out shaky and unstable as his eyes darted around the four forms around him.

Snow gave him a hesitant smile. "Um... My name's Snow..." She stretched out her hand, perhaps to soothe Roland, who was on the verge of tears, but before she could do that, the ground beneath them started to tremble. It was a faint rumbling at first; you couldn't even feel the vibrations unless you concentrated real hard. Then in less than seconds, the sand on the ground was getting tossed about and swirling all around them.

Regina found herself swaying unsteady as the earth beneath her feet rose up, then down, and back up once more. It was hard to describe what was happening. She had never experienced anything like that before. In her peripheral vision, she caught soft of Robin getting to his feet and then falling back to the ground. It was harder to make out Snow who was clinging to Charming in the hazy particles of sand who wheezing past her. That was when she caught sight of the little boy- Roland- on his fours, a few steps away from where she was struggling to regain her balance.

Without thinking, she forced her unstable body forward and making sure she didn't topple over; she slowly lowered herself down and scooped the writhing boy into her arms. As she gazed into Roland's frightened pair of eyes, she found herself muttering, "It's going to be alright. Just hold on tight and make sure you don't let go of me. Can you do that?" She asked the petrified boy in her arms. To her amazement, she received a quiet nod in return and the struggling in her arms stopped. Instead, she felt two tiny hands reach behind her and clam themselves around her neck.

"Roland? Where are you? Roland!" She heard Robin shouting among the midst of the howling sandstorm and she hollered a reply, hoping Robin could hear her.

"He's with me. What's happening?"

Luck was on her side as Robin's reply drifted to her. "It's the desert sirens,"

Roland's heart, she realized, feeling the soft thuds beating against her chest. Darn. All of them had been so engrossed in the appearance of Roland that neither of them remembered the fact that there were desert sirens lurking nearby who hunted by the beat of a heart. And now they were in trouble.

* * *

"I don't see any sirens!" Charming bellowed nearby. He and Snow must have made their way towards her and Robin as she could actually see the fearful expression on Snow's face and not just her silhouette in the sand.

"They are right here. They form from the sand!" Robin pointed to something in the near distance.

It was only then Regina realized she could see the Charmings clearly not because they had come closer, but because the sand that had been flying around them was now thinning, instead as though attracted by a magnet, they were all being sucked towards the middle, where silhouettes could be made out.

"Holy crap! The sand's turning into humans!" Snow exclaimed, her eyes full of horror as she watched the sand slowly combining until almost human like figures were standing in front of them.

"What's happening?" A soft voice whispered into her ear. Roland.

Regina didn't know how she should answer him. Was she supposed to tell this kid that evil sirens who hunted his heartbeat were appearing? No way. _I am a villain too._ Regina pursed her lips and looked at Roland's curly mop of hair, unwilling to meet his questioning gaze. _She should pass the kid back to Robin as soon as possible, before she managed to blacken his innocent pure heart. After all, she still was the evil queen and the only people who interacted with her had either had hearts as black as hers or would end up dead eventually. _

"There's some... bad monsters out there attacking us... But don't worry. They aren't coming anywhere near us," she hugged Roland tighter and gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile, cringing internally as the human forms of three women materialized. The sirens, she assumed.

Regina felt Roland bury his face into the crook of her neck and she tightened her hold on the child. Desert sirens or not, no one was going to harm this child. Not unless they got past her first.

"Can you maybe conjure some kind of protection spell?" Charming asked.

_Unlikely_, Regina lamented internally. To Charming, she just raised her brow and gave him a cool look. Oh well, no harm trying. Shrugging, she closed her eyes and willed magic to her. Concentrating, she tried to summon her magic to build up a protection spell. She felt the familiar tug in her chest. And then as though someone had taken a pair of scissors to snip off her connection to her magic, she felt the pull sizzle and disappear as quickly as it had come. Why was her power still not back? She gritted her teeth, feeling the urge to hit something boil inside her and instead focused on gently rocking Roland in her arms so that he would be more comfortable.

"It's alright. We'll get out of here without magic," Robin told her.

"Are you able to get the boy's heart out?" Regina heard Charming ask Robin.

"I'm not going to do that!" Came Robin's furious reply. "And it's already too late. The sirens have already heard it and seen all of us. Now regardless of whether we have a heartbeat or not, we are all targets,"

"How did you get out previously?" Snow queried, preparing her arrows and bow.

Robin sighed. "I had help from someone,"

"Who?" Snow's voice was filled with curiosity, "Maybe he or she can help us again?"

"I doubt so. He isn't going to be able to help us now. Even if he wanted to, which I doubt he would," Robin's lips curved into a dry smile.

Regina had an inkling about who Robin was talking about. "It was Rumplestiltskin wasn't it?"

"Yes," Robin replied curtly. "Look, right now I think the only way we can get out of here alive is if we manage to distract them and get past their defenses, which is highly unlikely… so that leaves us with one last option, kill them,"

_Wow. Robin had help from Rumple? Why would Rumple even want to help him? And what was the price Robin had to pay for his help?_ Regina wondered. _No one came to see the dark one without a deal in mind._

Robin turned towards Regina and as he stared at his little boy nestled in Regina's hold, he blinked twice before something shifted in his look. "Please keep him safe. I'll make sure the sirens don't get anywhere near you. Just... keep Roland safe..." Robin's voice cracked a little at the end.

Was Robin mad at her for carrying his son? Perhaps he didn't want the evil queen anywhere near his son. Regina didn't know why but that thought did upset her. "Look why not you take him?" She moved towards Robin.

Robin shook his head sadly. "No... I don't he would want that. But... he trusts you, that's good,"

"How is that good? What if something happens to him? My magic is still not working. I won't be able to protect him," Regina's voice grew more and more hysterical as she imagined the horrors that could happen. Her magic still wasn't back after the poison plant incident and she doubted she could turn into an expert archer or swords woman in a few seconds. _When was the last time she even wielded a sword or held a bow in her hands? _She couldn't remember. Even if she was an expert, she wouldn't have been able to hold both Roland and a weapon in her arms... Oh how she wished she had her magic back.

"Hey," a hand reached out to give her arm a gentle squeeze. "Look, my son trusts you and I trust you. Nothing's going to happen to any of us. The border's very near. You just need to make sure you and Roland get across the border when you get the chance. Then the sirens won't be able to harm you guys. But you have to remember, no matter what happens, just get cross the border. As long as you cross the border, you're safe. Just don't venture any deeper once you cross the border and please… keep Roland safe,"

Feeling really useless, Regina gave Robin a numb nod.

* * *

Snow, Charming and Robin came together and the three of them formed some sort of human barrier around Regina and Roland. Charming with his oh so princely sword drawn and Snow and Robin both had arrows notched, ready to be fired any second

Regina had never met a siren before and now she studied the three women in front with curiosity and wariness. The three (creatures? ladies?) did resemble sirens she had heard of, looking exotic and beautiful, yet there was this bloodthirsty gleam that radiated from their eyes. Regina didn't know what to call them. After all it wasn't every day you saw people getting formed out of sand. She assumed the middle one was the leader, judging from the way the other two waited for her to move before following behind. All of them wore the same kind of glitzy blue dress that shimmered with each step they took. Their long blond hair fell across their shoulders and glimmered in the sunlight, matching the mad sparkle in their eyes.

"Oh my! Look what we have here. Four tender humans… and a little boy… finally. How I missed the juicy flesh of human meat, especially that of a young boy," the middle one cackled, her voice so high pitched that Regina was sure she had turned deaf instantly. She took another step towards the group, her gaze fixated on Roland and Regina could swear she saw a forked tongue run across her blood red lips for a second.

"We don't mean any harm… we just need to get across the desert… there's no need for bloodshed so perhaps we can come to some sort of agreement?" Charming voiced out and Regina bit back her snort. _What? Did he really think those bitches were going to let them pass just because he was some high and mighty prince?_

"We do not negotiate…" the one on the left replied, her voice even more shrill than the middle one. Then a confused expression overcame her as she tilted her head to one side. "Or do we negotiate first before tearing the human's fleshes apart, sister?"

The middle one shook her head and spat onto the ground. "You idiot! We do not negotiate with humans. We do not let them pass the border. Have you forgotten how tasty human flesh is?"

"Yesssss," the one on the right hissed. At least her voice was not that screechy. "Human flesh… tasty… very yummy… we no negotiate,"

_Too bad she didn't seem to have any brain cells in her at all. _

"Why aren't you guys shooting arrows at them or something?" Regina whispered impatiently to the trio. "Take them by surprise and kill them,"

Snow sent her an admonishing look. "We only shoot if we have no choice Regina. Perhaps we can come to some sort of agreement and this won't have to end with a single drop of blood spilled,"

_Unbelievable._ Regina contented herself with imagining she was beating Snow senseless on her head with a big hammer before she actually throttled her to death right now. _Was she really that naïve to think those bloodthirsty monsters in front were going to allow them to cross the border unharmed?_ Judging from the way they eyed them and talked about human meat as though it was some kind of prized possession, Regina highly doubted so.

"We do not negotiate with you humans. You guys are just too tasty to let go off, now hand over the boy and let us have a taste of juicy young flesh… maybe we will consider making your death painless and quick…" their leader let out a ear piercing giggle and stretched out her hand towards Regina.

Roland whimpered in her arms and Regina suddenly felt very angry. Who the hell did these creatures think they were? So what if they were made of sand? Powerless or not, she still was the evil queen and since when did the evil queen cowered behind others?

"Stay the hell away from us if you know what's best for you bitch," Regina glared at the middle siren, her lips curving upwards into a condescending sneer. _Ah… how she missed her evil queen mask. Too bad she couldn't send a fireball flying towards the three dummies that stood in her way. How she would have loved seeing them melt back to whatever sand form they came from._

"Regina!" Snow's mouth fell open.

"What? Can't you see negotiating with these brainless gits isn't going to work?" Regina gave her a bland look.

All three creatures hissed indignantly and opened their mouth, baring two sharps fangs at Regina. They did look quite scary all of a sudden, although Regina as never going to admit that. Instead she raised her chin and gave the three creatures her best "bring it on" look.

"What? Is that all you've got? You think fake Dracula fangs are going to send me running? Please," she scoffed, rolling her eyes upwards.

The creatures faces took on a dark hue of red and the middle one gave an inhuman shriek before launching herself towards them.

"Now would be the perfect time to end your negotiating session and start shooting," Regina informed Snow dryly.

Giving Regina an exasperated shake of her head, Snow drew her arm back and together with Robin, they took aim and sent their arrows flying into the air. Seconds later, two arrows launched themselves right into the center of the siren's chest. But instead of disintegrating back to sand like Regina had expected, the arrows just slid past her chest, leaving two small holes in her middle. Snow let out a small gasp of horror as more sand just rose from the ground filled up the holes, not even leaving a single mark behind.

"Crap. The sand's just going to fill up whatever wound we inflict," Charming bit out, plunging his sword into the siren's stomach, only to watch it fill back up with sand again. "Any other ideas?"

The middle siren lunged again, her teeth bared towards Snow, who barely had time to jump out of the way before the razor sharp fangs pierced through the air just centimeters away from where Snow's neck previously was. _Did the sirens drawn blood like vampires too?_ Regina hoped not. Hissing, the three sirens surrounded them, ready to pounce at them once more. The hissing noised must have frightened Roland because he started struggling in Regina's arms and she had to tighten her hold on him, patting his back and trying her best to comfort him.

"We got to split up, or else we are going to get cornered," Robin told them, his face taut. "On the count of three, we each jump to one side and engage one siren. Try to push them back and if you get the chance, run for the border; it's not far from here,"

"Wait… what if we can get the sand out of here? Then the sirens won't be able to regenerate, will they?" Regina directed the question at Robin.

"That might work, but how are we going to get the sand out of this place? It's practically a desert in here!" he wiped away a bead of sweat that had formed on his forehead.

Regina gave him an impatient stare. Roland's struggles were getting more persistent and Regina didn't know how long she could continue holding the boy before he wriggled out of her grasp. "You can do magic remember? Can't you create some kind of spell to get the sand out or something?"

"No, my magic had never worked well… especially not in this place," Robin shook his head, frustrated.

"What do you mean? You are practically overflowing with light magic, I can feel it," Regina told him.

"It's not that simple," Robin gave the sirens another wary glance, they were now closing onto them and if the group didn't separate soon, Regina and Roland would never get the chance to get past the border. "I can't… I just can't,"

Regina's mouth fell open in realization. "You're afraid to use your powers. Why?"

Robin's eyes blazed. "I'm not afraid to use them. I'm afraid of the consequences that would happen after I use them. All magic comes with some sort of price and the last time I used magic, my son was the price I had to pay. Now, I've been fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to have him back and I'm not going to throw it away!"

Regina wondered what kind of magic Robin had performed. _So powerful that his son was the price he had to pay for it? _Before she could ask him more, the sirens opened their mouths once more, prepared to attack once again. This time, they were so close Regina doubted they would miss.

"Now! Go, go, go!" Robin hollered, bending over and while sending an arrow through the siren closest to him, he moved away from Regina, Snow and Charming doing the same, engaging the other two sirens in a game of cat and mouse, inflicting useless wounds that would just end up getting filled back up with sand while they dodged snapping jaws.

"Hush, please stop struggling Roland… or else I won't be able to protect you from the monsters my dear," Regina shifted Roland in her arms once more.

The boy's eyes were filled with tears as he observed the monstrous fangs all around him. "You promise to protect me?"

Regina's heart clenched. "Yes, I promise," She hoped she wasn't making a false one.

"Regina!"

Blinking in shock, Regina realized Robin was signaling for her to get past the tiny gap that had opened up when the three sirens separated to go after Snow, Charming and Robin. As unwilling as she was to leave the trio behind fighting by themselves, she had made a vow to both Robin and his son. Giving Robin a terse nod, she willed her legs to carry her as fast as she could and ran through the gap. It didn't take long before the sirens let out angry chants when they noticed her carrying Roland and escaping past them. But before they could do much about it, the Charmings and Robin had their attentions once again.

It wasn't long before Regina spotted the distinct line that aid on the ground a few feet away from her. _The border._ With a final burst of energy, she ignored her burning legs and dashed past it, letting out a relieved huff of laughter. Never had she been so happy to feel the grass beneath her feet.

"We made it!" she exclaimed into Roland's curly mop of hair, never feeling more relieved in her life.

"We did? The monsters can't attack us anymore?" Roland's scared voice was muffed as he spoke into her cloak.

Regina gently set the boy down onto the ground, her arms aching. "No they can't. You're safe, as I promised," But she couldn't say the same about the others though, she glanced back guiltily, her eyes making out the three figures struggling to ward off the sirens. It didn't seem they were going to be able to push the sirens back.

Making up her mind, she knelt down to face the little boy. "Look Roland, can you do something for me?"

Without hesitation, Roland gave her a small grin and nodded vigorously.

"Good boy," she ruffled his hair. "I need you to stay right here and don't go anywhere while I go back to help the rest, okay?"

Biting his lips, Roland gave her another nod. "Brave boy," she got up, brushing off dirt from her cloak. "Remember, no running around. Promise?" she stuck out her pinkie.

Roland's tiny pinkie clutched hers. "I promise,"

Hoping she had made the right decision, Regina took in a deep breath and stepped back into the desert. It didn't take her long to find the rest still busying fighting the sirens. She reached just in time to see a siren leapt up at Snow, who had her attention focused on shooting another of the creature. Before she could warn her though, Charming had shoved his betrothed out of harm's way as two fangs dug into his shoulders.

"Charming!" Snow cry was filled with anguish as blood spurted out from his wound profusely.

"Hey you ugly pigs!" Regina shouted at the siren nearest to her. her plan must have worked as three pair of beady eyes turned to her, mouths opening and closing in anger.

"Where's Roland?" Robin asked worriedly.

"Across the border, he's safe," Regina replied, distracted. She slowly edged backwards as the sirens started moving towards her instead, forgetting about their previous preys.

"You left him there by himself?" Robin eyes flashed with fear. "What if he runs away?"

"He won't," Regina shook her head. The sunlight was bearing down on her, making her throat hoarse and dehydrated. _That's it!_ Her eyes fixated on the sirens, she shouted to Robin as an idea started to form in her mind. "Pass me your canteen!"

"What?" Robin looked at her as though she had grown another head.

"Just do it!" she shouted back, hoping the man would just do as she requested before her neck got punctured or something.

She barely managed to catch the flying canteen that came whizzing into the air out of nowhere. _The man's aiming totally sucked. _"Now I want you to shoot it!" Regina prayed that her idea would work. She really didn't want to end up getting her neck torn out or something. And the sirens didn't at all look pleased with her. Just as the one closest to her pounced, there was a thud and Regina saw an arrow protruding out of her chest. _Yucks. _As expected, the arrow slowly slid out, leaving a hole in her middle and without wasting time, Regina unscrewed the canteen, and drawing her arm back, she doused the hole with water. Her heart pounding, she watched in apprehension as the siren let out a pained wailed while sand rose up from the ground to fill up the hole. But like what she had hoped, the particles were unable to fill up the now damp hole and more and more sand just kept swirling around the siren before the hole started getting bigger, while clumps of wet sand that stuck together started falling apart from the hole. The siren's face started to stretch and peel as more and more sand fell from her body. Feeling utterly disgusted, Regina looked at what had remained of the siren. A pile of damp sand was all that was left beneath her feet.

"It worked," Robin's blue eyes met hers and together in union, they worked together to get rid of the remaining sirens, Robin shooting arrows at them while Regina splashed water onto their wounds before the sand could fill it back up. Loud shrieks could be heard as the last two sirens struggled to keep the bodies together in vain. Soon, there was nothing but three lumps of wet sand lying between Robin and Regina.

"Are they all gone?" Regina asked aloud in wonder. Was it really that easy? If only they had thought of this idea sooner, she slowly smiled to herself, her heart rate finally slowing down.

"Have I ever told you how amazing you are?" Robin informed Regina with a big smile on his face.

Regina allowed herself a small smirk. "I am, aren't I?" she reached behind and flipped her long locks over her shoulder, giving her imaginary audience a small bow. "Let's get out of here before any more of those creatures start forming, shall we?"

"Yes, let's get back to my son," Robin's eyes lost a bit of their shine as he thought about his son who didn't remember who his papa was.

Now it was Regina who reached out to give Robin's arm a small squeeze. "Hey, it's going to be alright. Look, I know you don't feel comfortable with magic but perhaps I could reach into Roland's mind and try to extract his memories?"

"You're able to do that?" Robin questioned. "I thought your magic wasn't working?"

"Reading someone else's memory does actually require magic as long as you have magic in your veins. Which I do… I just can't seem to channel it now, that's all," Regina explained.

Robin thought over it for a moment before giving her a nod. "Okay, thank you,"

"It's nothing," Regina shrugged awkwardly, turning around to judge the damage done to Charming's shoulder. Which she assumed wasn't a big deal since Charming had hi bloodstained sleeve rolled back down, although he was doing a lousy job reassuring Snow he was fine.

"Trust me, it's like an ant bite," Charming tried smiling at Snow which turned out more of a grimace instead. Therefore Regina wasn't surprise when Snow gave him a big thud on his uninjured shoulder.

"You idiot! Don't you ever dare pull that kind of crap again!" She huffed, her eyes still watery. Turning to Robin, she sniffed. "Is the bite poisonous? Will he be okay?"

"No it isn't poisonous. It shouldn't be too much a bother as long as you properly wash and bandage it,"

Snow let out a thankful sigh and shot a small glare at Charming. "Come on, let's get out of here and fix up your arm," Even though she was still mad at him, she hooked her arm through his and made sure to take most of his weight in case his arm was still too painful for him to walk by himself.

* * *

They found Roland standing at the same position where Regina had left him and when the little boy saw them approaching, he immediately launched himself at Regina, hugging her legs tightly.

"We're back. It's alright," Regina knelt down, hugging the boy close to her chest, not daring to meet Robin's eyes and see the heartbreak in them. "Listen Roland, could you close your eyes for a minute?"

Little Roland did what he was told without question and Regina stared at his peaceful face, her throat feeling constricted all of a sudden. He looked so serene and trusting. Drawing in a deep breath, she gently placed her arm on top of his forehead and focused, hoping she was still able to dig into his memories even with her disabled magic right now. Regina kept her eyes shut, ignoring the intense stare of the others, especially Robin.

Images flooded her mind within seconds and as she reached the end, Regina jumped away with a start, her eyes wide open, her face pale and her head reeling from what she had just seen.

"Regina?" Robin's eyes were full of concern. Roland had opened his eyes by then, looking puzzled at Regina's horrified expression.

"My god," Regina whispered, looking at the others, "he… he didn't come here by accident. He was sent here… by someone very powerful… strong enough to prevent me from digging any deeper into his memories. It's almost as though…" Regina gave Robin an apologetic glance, "It's almost as though his memories were all wiped clean,"

* * *

_**Da da da dummmm…**_

_A/N: This could possibly be the longest chapter I've written so far… But anyway, I do hope you guys have enjoyed it and well… if you guys want to, leave me a review to tell me what you guys think about this one. It would really make me so, so happy xD _


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N: Apologies for the slow update... thank you for all the wonderful support I've received and special thanks to AddieGreysPPPEvilRegal for taking the time to review my each and every chapter :D _

_Also thank you justanotherwriter00, scifigrrl, htoria for reviewing! _

_**I'm forever grateful for all the amazing reviews I've received, really really appreciate it :) If I've forgotten to mention you, I'm truly sorry! Do let me know and I'll make the changes! I really am grateful to each any every of my followers, the people who have place this story I their fav lists and those who took the time to review...I've said it countless of times but I'll say it once more, thank you! :) _

** Anny Rodrigues commented: That's reminded me ''God of War'', I love this game. Zelena did it to Roland? Rumple? Or someone new?**

_Hmm... I think we can rule someone out after this next chapter... that still leaves quite a few possibilities doesn't it ;)_

** Princess-of-Bookworms commented: This is amazing. So amazing. Although I do have a question: If Roland's memories were all wiped clean then what were the images that Regina was seeing? Also, it's so sweet that Roland runs to Regina while she's still the evil queen.**

_Thanks! I hope most of the stuff is explained in this chapter and it's still unclear, don't hesitate to ask me and I'll try my best to explain them haha xD_

* * *

_Chapter 10_

"What do you mean his memories were wiped?"

"How were you able to see them then?"

"I don't understand, Regina,"

Everyone started talking at once, adding to Regina's already mounting headache. Grimacing, she signalled for them to stop their questions, her eyes traveling to the little boy who stared innocently into her eyes. Giving her a small smile, Roland sat down on the ground and started playing with whatever twigs he could gather.

"Here, take a seat first," Surprisingly, it was Robin who gestured to the rocks beside them. Regina sniffed, about to refuse to sit on a dirty, dusty looking lump of hard stone. But at the last second, she changed her mind and primly straightened her attire, slowly balancing herself on the uneven piece of stone. She hoped there were no poisonous insects lurking about.

"Basically I was able to reach into his latest memories but I was unable to dig further into his past..." Her eyes found Robin's. Swallowing uncomfortably, she continued. "Specifically his past with you. It's been erased on purpose,"

"Who would do something so despicable as that?" Snow voiced out.

"You said you managed to see a few of his memories before it was all erased?" Robin gritted his teeth, trying to rein in his anger. He was going to make sure the person who erased whatever precious memories his son had with him would pay for what he had done.

"At least I know where your son has been these few years,"

Robin nodded for her to continue. Think positive, at least I still have Roland. At least Roland's not dead like his mother.

"Have you heard of this place called Neverland?"

"Neverland? Where Peter Pan and Tinkerbell is?" Robin asked curiously.

"Tinkerbell..." Regina trailed off, her hazel eyes unreadable. Then she shook her head, her eyes shining with determination. "Yes. That's Neverland. Which also happens to be the place Roland went after well... after what happened after your wife's death I guess,"

"Wait... So you managed to see memories of Roland in Neverland?" Snow blinked uncertainly, still lost.

"Urgh. Why do I even bother?" Regina rolled her eyes. Gesturing impatiently with her hands, she started narrating what she had seen...

At first everything was black. They always were whenever she read into memories. Although it wasn't one of her strong suits, it was a necessity that Rumple has insisted she mastered.

Just a few more seconds, Regina recognized the familiar pull and let herself be submerged in the colours that started swirling around her. Blinking, she frowned as she found standing beside what seemed to be a bonfire. There was loud banging and shouts that echoed in her ears as hooded figures ran around the glowing ambers. She realised the banging sound came from the sticks the hooded figures were clashing together.

Squinting, she scanned the figures' half hidden faces for Roland but was unsuccessful. They were just young teenage boys wearing oversized cloaks, Regina pursed her lips, having a premonition of where she was. Where was Roland? Wasn't this his memories? If so, where was The little boy? That was when she caught a glimpse of the two lone figures perched on top of a rock. The smaller one was busying using a stick poke at the ground beneath his feet while the taller one stared at the boys running about. Their leader, Regina guessed. Also known as Peter Pan. Those boys running about must have been the lost boys. Was Roland a lost boy too?

She approached the two figures cautiously, even though she knew it was silly. This was just an illusion. Only a flashback of Roland's memories. Her heart pounding, she slowly lowered herself to the ground and looked up. The smaller hooded figure was indeed Roland. He was smiling contentedly to himself as he continued poking the ground, his two prominent dimples standing out as though it was glowing in the dim light. Although part of her was relieved that she had found the boy, another part of her was filled with dread. What did it mean? How had Roland became a lost boy? There was only one way to find out. Reaching out, she gently touched Roland's arm, concentrating. Her surroundings started to blur and fade into darkness once again as she braced herself for the scene to change.

Slowly, she found herself catching a deeper glimpse into Roland's time in Neverland. It was always him wearing a satisfied smile as he doodled on the ground or piled up sticks in what looked like a makeshift house to Regina. Yet never once did Regina see him interact with any of the other boys or run around like they did. Not even when Pan played on his pipe. The others boys would be in a daze after hearing the hypnotizing song and start assembling in a line to perform some kind of ritual in front of the fire. Whereas Roland would just sit at one corner, almost as though he was in his own little blissful world.

Yet Regina had one burning question unanswered. How did Roland get to the infinite forest? Reaching out for Roland once more, she willed herself to be transported to Roland's latest memories.

He was drawing again. This time with his bare hands. It seemed he had a penchant for that. That was when Regina spotted another clocked figure conversing with Pan on the secluded edge of the beach. This figure was definitely not one of the lost boys, towering over Pan. Even the clock him or her wore stood out, shimmering in the pale lighting making it hard for Regina to decide if it was brown or black in colour. Both Pan and the figure seemed to be in some kind of discussion, Pan throwing his hands in the air every few seconds while the figure stood beside him motionlessly. Regina strained to hear what they were saying but they were too far away for her to hear anything. All of a sudden, both parties shook each other's hands. Pan didn't look too happy, Regina thought. Too bad she couldn't see the other person's expression. As though the figure could sense her perusal, it turned and walked towards her, the hood still obstructing Regina from catching a glimpse of the face beneath it. Regina's breath caught as she finally noticed the figure's feet. They weren't even touching the ground. That took lots of power just to master and even Rumple had once told her it wasn't an easy feat to do. Yet the figure continued to move towards them, an aura of mystery and danger radiating from each step taken. He or she must be a powerful magician, Regina observed with narrowed eyes. When both the figure and Pan reached little Roland, the boy stopped whatever he was doing and looked up curiously.

"Well it seems you are going home, dear little Roland," Pan muttered bitterly, stomping his foot on the ground like a spoilt child.

"I am?" Roland looked up, his eyes suddenly full of hope. Regina frowned. Wait... Roland was in Neverland, where one would most probably be reluctant to leave after such a long stay. Yet, Roland seemed... excited. His next words confirmed Regina's suspicions. "I'm going to see my papa? You'll let me go?" He smiled at Pan. Roland wasn't affected by Neverland. He still had his memories of Robin. So why was it he couldn't recognize Robin when he appeared at the forest?

Pan pulled a long face. "I don't have much a choice, do I? Whatever. It wasn't like you were going to become one of the lost boys anytime soon," He glared angrily at the hooded figure beside him.

The hooded person still didn't reply, only slowly tilting his or her head up. Regina held her breath as she waited for the person's identity to be revealed. Then she blinked as she looked right into a patch of darkness. Under the hood there was nothing but a black void of darkness. Had this mysterious person erased Rolland's memory of him other face on purpose? A clothed arm reached out towards Roland.

Run Roland! Run! Regina opened her mouth to scream but nothing came out. She watched in horror as the hand touched Roland's forehead and she felt the ground beneath her tremble.

Oh dear lord, please don't let it be what she was thinking. Regina reached out and grabbed Roland's arm, her thoughts in a panicked jumble. Come on, please let her be able to access Roland's previous memories with Robin. Shutting her eyes close, she growled in frustration as nothing happens and the ground beneath her continued to shake, more vigorously now.

In seconds, she felt the tingle that ran up her arm, signalling the end of Roland's memories and there was an invisible shove that sent her reeling back to the present.

* * *

"So this hooded figure? It was him or her who had sent Roland here?" Charming asked.

Regina shrugged. "Maybe. It was most likely so but unless we can determine the identity of the hooded figure, it's unlikely we find out who was behind this," her eyes hardened. When she found out who erased Roland's memories, she was going to make them pay.

"Can you do that?" Robin questioned, his eyes darting over the small figures drawing on the ground.

"Not without magic. And even if I had my powers back I need ingredients to create a memory potion. Which are all back at my castle, of course that's if they aren't destroyed yet," Regina shot Snow and Charming a hateful glare.

Snow swallowed. "Nope. They're still there. All your stuff. The room's just locked up,"

Regina was silent, her gaze burning holes into Snow's head. Finally she looked away. "Good. When we get back, I shall get to making a memory potion for your son. Now if you will excuse me," she gave Robin a stiff nod and rose from her seat, ignoring the Charmings.

Regina didn't know what to make of the fact that Snow had not ordered for her possessions to be torched. Part of her felt relieved. She had wondered what became of her magical items after she was banished. Most of them were rare and hard to obtain. A greater part of her wanted to strangle the princess. Why did she even bothered keeping her stuff? If she was Snow, she would have long torched the whole room into ashes. Plus she still knew no matter what Snow done, she would not be able to forgive her for what she had done to Daniel. Her heart clenched uncontrollably. No. Nothing Snow did would ever make up for her sins. Nothing short of her head on a platter. Once this useless trip was over, Regina was going to kill Snow White. Yes she was. She inhaled deeply, trying to calm down. She wasn't going to kill Snow now. But after they got rid of the green witch, she was going to go start plotting to get back her throne. Her rightful throne. She was so caught up in pacing back and forth that she failed to notice Robin until it was too late. As she took another furious step forward, kicking the dusty ground beneath her feet, she was unable to legs from giving way as she slammed into something hard.

Bracing herself for the impact of the fall, Regina was shocked to find to strong arms reach out to grab her waist and pull her up before she could hit the ground. Blinking in surprise, she glanced up and looked into a pair of bright blue eyes.

"Apologies milady, I had not meant to startle you," Robin grinned, letting go after he stabilized Regina.

"I never get startled. You just weren't watching where you were going," Regina sniffed.

Robin's smile widened. Regina found herself staring as the dent in his cheeks grew more and more prominent. "Perhaps I was indeed distracted," he gave her a small shrug.

Regina felt her mouth turn dry. What on earth was Robin doing? She blinked a few times before collecting her jumbled train of thoughts. She was the queen. And she would act like one, not some lovesick farm girl. Moreover she didn't believe someone like her would ever get the chance to love again, regardless of what Snow said. Raising her head haughtily, she replied, "Well be more alert next time. You're lucky I didn't turn you into a bug,"

"A bug? And pray tell how would you do that without your magic?" Robin cocked his head to one side, studying her intently. "You really do rely a lot on magic don't you?"

Regina wanted to squirm under his burning gaze but instead forced herself to stand even straighter. She was sure her back was going to break into two any moment now. "If it was anyone else, I would have really turned him or her into a bug to be squashed," Regina huffed. But Robin was anyone else. He was... her friend. So she continued, "magic is power. The more magic you know, the more power you wield,"

"That isn't true. You don't need magic to be powerful," Then Robin frowned. "You mentioned if it was anyone else you would have turned him or her into a bug... so what am I to you?"

Regina looked away from his gaze. Not before she had caught a glimpse of hope shining in his eyes. What kind of answer was he expecting her to give him?" Surely not... "I guess you're a friend? Wasn't that what you wanted in the first place?" She blurted out before her mind could wander to other places.

Robin took a step closer to her and his eyes flickered over her face before he took a deep breath. "What if I want to be more than just friends?"

Regina froze. Was he implying... Did Robin... Oh god. He really did mean it, Regina saw the truth reflected in his eyes. "I..." She kept silent for a long time before finally exhaling and forcing herself to look into Robin's eyes. "Then I would call you a fool,"

Robin didn't bother to hide the disappointment in his eyes. "Why? Don't you feel it? This connection we have? Because I do and..."

Regina interrupted him angrily before he could finish. "Exactly. You do. I don't. There is no such connection between us!"

"That's not true. You can sense it too. You're just too afraid to admit it. For god's sake, we even kissed!" Robin eyes flashed. The queen was so stubborn at times.

Regina stiffened as memories of what had just taken place invaded her mind. "I do not know what you are talking about. Just leave me alone for a moment will you?" She glared at the archer.

They stared at each other, each unwilling to be the first to break eye contact. Why did he have to complicate things? Regina lashed out internally. They were already friends. Why did he have to take things one step further? Of course Regina had an inking of what connection he was talking about. The stupid tingle that shot through her body each time the archer was near. But that didn't mean anything. Plus why would Robin even want to take things a step further? He was already her friend, which was bad enough. Why would someone like him want to be more than friends with the evil queen? More than friends... What did that even mean? Do not even go in there, she berated herself. Yet a tiny part of her yearned to find out what that was.

Finally Robin sighed. "Look I just came to return you your heart. I just thought... well... I know you might not want to hear this... but I am quite attracted to you. Not just because you're the queen or anything, but also because I've seen who you are underneath the whole elaborate costumes and glamour. Plus I've also noticed how Roland trusts you. I know you think you're the evil queen and all but I've met Regina too," Robin's blue eyes were sincere. "I really hope to get to know her better... in a romantic way, if you get what I'm saying..." He trailed off awkwardly before digging into the pouch tied to his waist and held out a lump to Regina.

It took her a moment to recognize that the lump was her heart as her mind was still reeling from Robin's admission. Sucking in a shaky breath, she reached forward and took the beating organ from his hands, noticing how quickly it was pulsing in her hands. She glanced up sharply. Had Robin noticed that too? If he did, he definitely gave no indication whatsoever. Gosh, she felt... angry? Confused? She didn't even know what she was feeling right now. Unable to come up with a reply, she did not even bother to prepare herself before plunging the pulsating organ into her chest, welcoming the acute pain that shot through her body. Anything to distract her from her messed up thoughts right now.

The high pitched giggle that reverberated through the forest was enough to make her and Robin freeze in shock before they both whipped into action, Robin notching an arrow immediately. She hadn't even noticed he brought his now along. Willing herself to focus, she waved her hand, expecting to see the familiar ball of fire blazing in her hand. Dang. Her magic was still not back. She could only purse her lips and narrow her eyes as she scanned the vicinity.

"Show yourself!" Robin growled, his muscles tense. The Charmings and Roland were just a few meters away. Was there enough time to shout a warning to them? Or would that just draw more attention to the trio? Robin cursed at his lousy luck. They always got interrupted whenever it was just him and Regina having a discussion alone.

"Don't bother," Regina clenched her fists. Of all the rotten timings, why did her magic have to fail her now? Especially when she knew her foe was someone whom they would stand no chance against without magic. She had recognized that giggle instantly. "Rumplestilskin, what a surprise," she drawled out bitterly.

Another giggle sounded before the air around them swirled into a mist before the dark one emerged, giving a small bow at the stunned archer and the furious queen. "What a coincidence, this must be my lucky day, meeting the evil queen and the outlaw while they venture valiantly into the infinite forest," Rumple smirked. He had not expected the queen to have agreed to help Snow White, and he definitely didn't think the archer would be willing to venture into the infinite forest ever again. But then again, his life was so full of surprises now, starting from when Zelena had managed to even obtain his dagger. And look at him now, he was nothing but a common pet forced to obey his master's every command.

"Pleasure's all yours," Robin all but spat out. "What do you want?" His arrow was aimed right at Rumple's chest.

Rumple let put another shrill titter. "You and I both know that arrow's not going to do me any damage. The only way you even stand a chance against me is if you actually use your powers, which of course, you are so adamant not to do so,"

"That's enough, Rumple. Why are you here? I thought you were too busy being a slave to a certain green freak to pay your social calls. Or did the witch send you?" Regina snarled, her patience dangling on the edge of a thin thread.

The dark one narrowed his eyes. "Zelena would not be happy to hear that you called her a green freak... I would watch what I say if I were you dearie,"

Regina let out a snort, "yea right, Zelena can go rot in hell," then her gaze softened, just a little, "how on earth did she even manage to get her hands on your dagger?"

"I was careless," the dark one's eyes turned a shade darker, almost turning black, before a calculative gleam appeared, "but don't you worry about me. You're going to have other things to fear soon, things like what's going to happen when you bring a little boy into the nightmare cave,"

So he knew about Roland, Regina kept her face devoid of any emotions, even though her insides turned into liquid at the thought of little Roland being placed in more danger. "So it was you? You were the hooded figure who took the boy out of Neverland?"

Rumple frowned, something akin to curiosity flashing in his eyes. "Hooded figure?"

"If it wasn't you then who was it who wiped away my son's memories of me?" Robin glared bitterly at the dark one.

"You have a weird way of expressing you gratitude, especially towards the person who got you out of the desert unscathed," Rumple sneered, "As for the hooded figure, I..." Before he could complete his sentence, his face crumpled in agony and he dropped to one knee, his hands flying up to clutch his head. Gasping for air, he finally got back up. Regina felt a shiver go through her as she was the look of utter hatred and anger on her former mentor's face. "Well it seems I have wasted too much time chit chatting. Zelena would like me to pass you something," Rumple curved his lips in disdain before procuring a brown leather book out of thin air.

Regina recognised it immediately. "My mother's spell book,"

"Yes indeed dearie, you see, Zelena would like to offer this to you as a gift. A sign of friendship you could call it. You and I can leave this place right now, as long as you don't interfere with her plans and in return she will allow you to kill Snow White and give you dictatorship over some parts of the kingdom,"

Regina froze. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. You don't interfere with her plans, you get to leave this place now and even get to achieve your lifelong dream of killing the princess. So what do you say your majesty? Do we have a deal?"

* * *

_A/N: GASP**** So what will Regina's decision be? I hope this was enough to satisfy you guys so far! Hopefully I can get the next chapter up soon and till then, don't forget to leave a review if you want, it would really make me so happy :)_


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